Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tameson O'Brien" <tamesonob@metrocast.net>]

Tradingpost <tradingpost@lobo.net> wrote:

>
>Does It Really Cost More to Eat Healthy Food?
>http://www.foodpolitics.com/2011/08/does-it-really-cost-more-to-buy-healthy-food/
>
>  I got several calls this week about a new study from the University of 
> Washington arguing that because of the way foods are subsidized, it will 
> cost everyone nearly $400 a year to follow the recommendations of the 
> government’s MyPlate food guide. 
>
>The Seattle group calculates the cost of food per calorie.  By this measure, 
>the price of fruits and vegetables is exceedingly high compared to the cost 
>of junk food.  Fruits and vegetables do not have many calories for their 
>weight.
>
>The Commerce department tracks the indexed price of foods.  Its data show 
>that the indexed price of fresh produce increased by 40% ince 1980 whereas 
>the price of sodas and processed foods has declined by 10-30%.  (The easiest 
>place to see their charts is in New York Times articles from a couple of 
>years ago.  Click here and also here).
>
>USDA economists have produced a similar chart:
>
> 
>
>Other USDA economists, however, argue that price trends for fruits, 
>vegetables, and junk foods are really no different, and that the data shown 
>in the figure overstate the apparent difference.
>
>Nevertheless, the Seattle paper got a lot of attention, and rightly so.  One 
>of my calls was from David Freeman of CBS News who said he was hearing lots 
>of complaints that the study promoted a “nanny state” because it blamed bad 
>eating habits on the government.  My quotes:
>
>    “It’s a common misconception that food choices are solely a matter of 
> personal responsibility,” Dr. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food 
> studies, and public health at New York University and an outspoken critic 
> of the fast food industry, told CBS News. “People are hugely influenced by 
> the price of food. If you don’t have any money and go into the store to buy 
> some fresh fruits, you might decide that it’s cheaper to have a couple of 
> fast food hamburgers.”
>
>    And those who can afford healthy food may lack the time or the necessary 
> food-preparation skills, Dr. Nestle said.
>
>    Government-sponsored cooking classes and kitchen equipment may not be in 
> the offing. But Dr. Monsivais and Dr. Nestle agreed that federal 
> agriculture policies could do more to encourage healthy eating. For 
> example, some of the federal farm subsidies now directed to producers of 
> corn, soybeans, and other crops used to make fast and processed foods could 
> be redirected to growers of fruits and vegetables.
>
>    “What’s the matter with that?” Dr. Nestle said. “I can’t think of a 
> thing.”
>
>
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