> So wait, hold on, is cooking more expensive or not? You spend more if you buy and cook fresh produce. You spend less if you only cook rice and beans. The lat

> So wait, hold on, is cooking more expensive or not? You spend more if you buy and cook fresh produce. You spend less if you only cook rice and beans. The latter is less healthy than the former. > What major grocery chain doesn't carry everything needed to make dinner? Not every store with food is a grocery store. Dollar stores and corner stores do not stock an abundance of fresh produce, beans, flour, etc. People may have to go to multiple stores to find the items they need. > I thought we were talking about food cooking barriers? Yes. Not having child care is a food cooking barrier. Not having money or the time to prepare school lunch is a food cooking barrier. Not having access to grocery stores or a car is a food cooking barrier. As is access to food assistance programs, not being paid enough, not having access to good public transit, insecure or unaffordable housing, etc. In 2009, over 2% of the US population lived in a food desert, and in 2017, 11.8% of US households were food-insecure. Of that 11.8%, 4.5% had very low food security.