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Unhealthy foods are cheaper than healthy foods, partially due to sugar subsidies. This is what happens when corporations run the government. They lobby for thin

Unhealthy foods are cheaper than healthy foods, partially due to sugar subsidies. This is what happens when corporations run the government. They lobby for things that are beneficial to their bottom line rather than what's better for the well being of the population.

skybrian 7y ago
Or maybe sugar would be cheaper without government intervention? The U.S. government also maintains a minimum price for sugar via tariffs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Sugar_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Sugar_Program
- Retric 7y ago
  Their are several kinds of sugars. White sugar (Sucrose) is more familiar as a granular sweeter, but industry has no problem working with a cheaper liquid.
anonuser123456 7y ago
That's right. Corporations are forcing people to stuff themselves with potato chips, Captain crunch and pop.
- ZeroGravitas 7y ago
  They literally pay people to market these things to children. You actually name check a 44% sugar cereal that has a cartoon character as a mascot! The person who invented the flavor described it as having a quality she called "want-more-ishness".
  - umvi 7y ago
    So you are saying parents are at the mercy of the whims of their children when it comes to buying food?
    - rootusrootus 7y ago
      You choose your battles. You won't win every one.
pkaye 7y ago
According to a Google lookup, unhealthy foods are cheaper at about $1.50 per day. Also if people cut back on quantity consumed it may be adequate despite being unhealthy food. I think most people eat too many calories per day for the amount of physical activity.
- vixen99 7y ago
  A bit pedantic perhaps but let's bear in mind that with the exception of contaminated products, there are no such things as unhealthy foods. There is such a thing as an unhealthy diet constructed from disproportionate and inappropriate amounts (as you point out) of the essential nutrients we need including carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals.
5trokerac3 7y ago
Processed unhealthy foods are cheaper than processed healthy(er) foods. Beans and grains are cheap. Staple fruits and vegetables are cheap. Chicken is cheap (especially dark meat). Eggs are cheap. You can feed a family of 4 a very healthy diet for ~$100 a month if you're willing to put in the work sourcing and cooking. That's the crux of the issue, though. Food deserts combined with a lack of nutritional and culinary knowledge - maybe a lack of time to prepare healthy meals - is what's killing the average American diet, middle class and below. Side note: if you raise your kids on hot dogs, chicken nuggets and soda every day then you will possibly ruin their palette for life. We now have people that find drinking water disgusting, because all they've ever drank is Diet Coke.
- dakna 7y ago
  Lack of knowledge is one prt, but also convenience plays a big role. Cooking is considered a household chore, and life should be easy. The neighborhood store doesn't offer raw ingredients to cook, and you need weekly planning to stock up on this when you drive to the big store outside of town. You get everything processed and sugared up right around the corner every day.
  - wang_li 7y ago
    > convenience plays a big role No government regulation should be imposed on the country as a whole so that some people can find things more convenient. If people can't be bothered to put some effort into being healthy, I'm not sure why I should care if the "gap between rich and poor American's health is widening" or not. Edited to remove judgement.
    - standardUser 7y ago
      You may have missed other parts of this conversation where people point out how corporate interests have had great success in getting the government to promote and subsidize unhealthy foods (see: corn subsidies, the food pyramid, subpar food labelling, cheap junk food in public schools). The government (at various levels) should certainly have a role in ensuring a healthy population. But if nothing else, the government (at all levels) should be sure not to promote and fund profoundly unhealthy habits over healthy ones.
xwdv 7y ago
Absolutely not. Don’t perpetuate this BS. Calorie for calorie and pound for pound healthy foods are far cheaper and more nutritious than whatever crap people are reaching for on supermarket shelves or drive thru windows these days. People have had their sense of taste hyper-stimulated for so long that they have grown a distaste for most “healthy” foods, to their own detriment. If every bite isn’t orgasmically delicious they are unlikely to eat that food again.
- Amygaz 7y ago
  Well, pound for pound, and calories for calories, a pound of vegetables is more expensive than a pound of 85/15 beef. And a 2L of Coke is even cheaper (and heavier and calorific)... So, there’s that as a starting point.
  - asark 7y ago
    > And a 2L of Coke is even cheaper (and heavier and calorific)... You can buy a 3L of Best Choice Soda with change you found in the parking lot, making it basically free. Coca Cola, what is this, the Hamptons? ;-)
  - opportune 7y ago
    A pound of 85/15 beef is like $6 at my supermarket. You can get a pound of frozen peas for $1. Calories for calories, beans (NOT from a can, dry beans in a bag) are also like 20% of the cost of beef.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

skybrian 7y ago

Or maybe sugar would be cheaper without government intervention? The U.S. government also maintains a minimum price for sugar via tariffs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Sugar_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Sugar_Program

Retric 7y ago
Their are several kinds of sugars. White sugar (Sucrose) is more familiar as a granular sweeter, but industry has no problem working with a cheaper liquid.

anonuser123456 7y ago

That's right. Corporations are forcing people to stuff themselves with potato chips, Captain crunch and pop.

ZeroGravitas 7y ago
They literally pay people to market these things to children. You actually name check a 44% sugar cereal that has a cartoon character as a mascot! The person who invented the flavor described it as having a quality she called "want-more-ishness".
- umvi 7y ago
  So you are saying parents are at the mercy of the whims of their children when it comes to buying food?
  - rootusrootus 7y ago
    You choose your battles. You won't win every one.

pkaye 7y ago

According to a Google lookup, unhealthy foods are cheaper at about $1.50 per day. Also if people cut back on quantity consumed it may be adequate despite being unhealthy food. I think most people eat too many calories per day for the amount of physical activity.

vixen99 7y ago
A bit pedantic perhaps but let's bear in mind that with the exception of contaminated products, there are no such things as unhealthy foods. There is such a thing as an unhealthy diet constructed from disproportionate and inappropriate amounts (as you point out) of the essential nutrients we need including carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals.

5trokerac3 7y ago

Processed unhealthy foods are cheaper than processed healthy(er) foods. Beans and grains are cheap. Staple fruits and vegetables are cheap. Chicken is cheap (especially dark meat). Eggs are cheap. You can feed a family of 4 a very healthy diet for ~$100 a month if you're willing to put in the work sourcing and cooking. That's the crux of the issue, though. Food deserts combined with a lack of nutritional and culinary knowledge - maybe a lack of time to prepare healthy meals - is what's killing the average American diet, middle class and below. Side note: if you raise your kids on hot dogs, chicken nuggets and soda every day then you will possibly ruin their palette for life. We now have people that find drinking water disgusting, because all they've ever drank is Diet Coke.

dakna 7y ago
Lack of knowledge is one prt, but also convenience plays a big role. Cooking is considered a household chore, and life should be easy. The neighborhood store doesn't offer raw ingredients to cook, and you need weekly planning to stock up on this when you drive to the big store outside of town. You get everything processed and sugared up right around the corner every day.
- wang_li 7y ago
  > convenience plays a big role No government regulation should be imposed on the country as a whole so that some people can find things more convenient. If people can't be bothered to put some effort into being healthy, I'm not sure why I should care if the "gap between rich and poor American's health is widening" or not. Edited to remove judgement.
  - standardUser 7y ago
    You may have missed other parts of this conversation where people point out how corporate interests have had great success in getting the government to promote and subsidize unhealthy foods (see: corn subsidies, the food pyramid, subpar food labelling, cheap junk food in public schools). The government (at various levels) should certainly have a role in ensuring a healthy population. But if nothing else, the government (at all levels) should be sure not to promote and fund profoundly unhealthy habits over healthy ones.

xwdv 7y ago

Absolutely not. Don’t perpetuate this BS. Calorie for calorie and pound for pound healthy foods are far cheaper and more nutritious than whatever crap people are reaching for on supermarket shelves or drive thru windows these days. People have had their sense of taste hyper-stimulated for so long that they have grown a distaste for most “healthy” foods, to their own detriment. If every bite isn’t orgasmically delicious they are unlikely to eat that food again.

Amygaz 7y ago
Well, pound for pound, and calories for calories, a pound of vegetables is more expensive than a pound of 85/15 beef. And a 2L of Coke is even cheaper (and heavier and calorific)... So, there’s that as a starting point.
- asark 7y ago
  > And a 2L of Coke is even cheaper (and heavier and calorific)... You can buy a 3L of Best Choice Soda with change you found in the parking lot, making it basically free. Coca Cola, what is this, the Hamptons? ;-)
- opportune 7y ago
  A pound of 85/15 beef is like $6 at my supermarket. You can get a pound of frozen peas for $1. Calories for calories, beans (NOT from a can, dry beans in a bag) are also like 20% of the cost of beef.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]