The economics of obesity

According to the authors of "Food Fight" one of the reasons for higher rates of obesity in lower-income populations is that it simply costs more to eat a healthy diet. This fact was brought home to me in a powerful way yesterday when I made my usual weekly trip to the grocery store. As I walked through the produce section, an area which I normally hit pretty heavily, I was horrified to see how much prices have risen in just a few weeks. Prices on year-round produce like bananas and onions have gone up 15-20%. I kid you not. Seasonal produce is even worse. Early strawberries are in and I was surprised they weren't offering financing on the spot. And there are these little tomatoes that I'm totally crazy over but I wasn't willing to pay $6 for two packages (on sale). Let me be clear on this too - I wasn't at some upscale organic yuppie market in a wealthy part of town, I was at the King Soopers (a supermarket chain owned by Kroger) not far from my house (a quiet area that's fairly blue-collar in character).

Next I visited the meat department. I say visited because it's hard to say I shopped there. I spent a few minutes being horrified over the prices, and then walked out with a package of chicken thighs, one of the few affordable items I saw. I'm not sure when we had steak last, but at $8.49/lb (for a not-terribly-special New York Strip) it's going to be a while before we have it again. Boneless skinless chicken breasts were $7.00/lb. They had some special cuts of beef and lamb left over from Easter, and at the prices they charged I didn't wonder why they hadn't sold - a really nice roast for $42.

I left the store with a head of cabbage, a few cans of various types of beans, the aforementioned chicken thighs, a can of soup, and a complete sense of despair. We're not talking poverty and food insecurity here, it's not that bad for us, but we're definitely feeling the pinch. The despair I felt came from my sympathy for those who were already having a tough time making ends meet, as I wondered just what they were doing. Our grocery bill has skyrocketed over the last few months. I'm a careful shopper - sales, coupons, loyalty cards, the works. And don't give me any nonsense about tracking my purchases, they can do that whether or not I use a card, and I really don't care if they look to see what brand of tuna or laundry detergent I buy if it will save me $5-10/trip. At the same time, we're cutting back on things. I'm resurrecting some dishes that I haven't cooked since Hubby and I were newlyweds and watching every single dime. During that time (mid/late 1980's) our grocery budget was quite small. We never went hungry but I learned to be creative about cooking meals that were nutritious, flavorful and economical. That was good training for now, when what goes on our table and in our lunch bags is once again determined by what's on sale.

Getting back to "Food Fight", the authors say that there are fewer full-fledged supermarkets in lower income neighborhoods, and smaller neighborhood markets carry less inventory of produce and charge more for it, which makes it harder for lower income residents to obtain healthy foods on a regular basis. They also discuss the price disparity between healthy foods (such as fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats) and less-than-healthy foods (fattier meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, chips/cookies/snack foods). Sometimes it's a matter of dollars and cents - a mother can feed her kids fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and lean meats for two weeks, or she can feed them hot dogs, chips, sugary cereals and soft drinks for a month - no real choice there. This also identifies a real problem in our society, culture and economy if only those who are well-off can afford to eat a healthy diet. The authors speculated about, but didn't take a position on, a potential tax on junk food and sugary drinks. I have to admit there was one potential use of revenues from such a tax that I found appealing and beneficial to all - these tax revenues could be used to subsidize the prices of produce and other healthier foods. If the prices of carrots and apples were subsidized, then the hypothetical mother described above would be able to purchase apples (currently $1.99-2.49/lb) for the price of cheese puffs (on sale, $1.25/bag).

In the meantime, I'm just grateful that Hubby is willing to try some of the vegetarian dishes I've come across lately. Tonight I made a wonderful dish of black beans, canned tomatoes, corn and rice with a sprinkling of shredded cheese and some spices. Inexpensive and delicious! I'm also grateful that he doesn't mind the simple meals I've resurrected from the early days of our marriage. He appears to be enjoying the walk down memory lane.

This is the worst spike in prices I've seen in a very long time. It reminds me of the bad old days back in the late 1970's/early 1980's, the time when conservative voters put Reagan into office and the government spent billions of dollars fighting communism while people here in the US were paying 13% interest on their mortgages. I kid you now. I don't want us to revisit those times with the only differences being substitute McCain for Reagan and terrorism for communism. This is a crucial election cycle, one in which the people of this country will be able to choose between hope and fear, between progress and regression, between environmental destruction and preservation, between peace and war, between violence and understanding. The choice we make will reverberate throughout the history of our country, and our planet, for decades. Choose wisely.

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
Mahatma Gandhi

Peace,
AuntieM