Why is healthier food more expensive than junk food?
If the United States is supposed to be the fattest country in the world, than why do we need to pay more for healthy food. I think it really annoying because I'm a pretty healthy eater so, ya know, it's really annoying! Please tell me your comments on this problem. P.S. Everyone who likes junk food more than health food I'm sorry.
Other - Food & Drink - 21 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
It's harder to make and find.
2 :
It's a scam like everything else. If you WILL NOT put junk into your body, then you WILL pay the prices.
3 :
Not at all expensive in India. May be in ur countries. Here very cheap.
4 :
junk food is higher in calories and fats and stuff that is easy to produce also people are willing to pay more for healthy foods
5 :
well, they just want us to get fat and by lowering the price on junk food, we'll buy more of it. idk, but we are the fattest country and, no one in the u.s gives a shit and that kinda bugs me
6 :
Well cause it's harder to produce healthier food, like why do people buy expensive cars when they can buy a cheap one, for the look and appearance, and in this case the taste.
7 :
Healthy food is not as processed as junk food, which means it's harder to mass produce it. Also, there's a lot of work that goes into making sure ingredients are organic (planting, tending, harvesting, shipping, etc.) It sure is better for you though, so keep at it!
8 :
Just wait...the government will start regulating what you eat soon enough so you won't have to worry about it anymore. But I'll still bomb the hell out of Twinkies!!
9 :
Here we go. Health equals fountain of youth. People will pay high prices for those vegetable like years at the end of the life. Healthy is easier than health food though, try buying grape seed oil in bulk, going to the 99 cent store and shopping around. I just got some good meat for stir fry for a buck 59 a pound and it was beef!
10 :
I believe it is because there is no money in farming. A good speech you can find on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHoOfcFM33c is that there is no money in farming. because of this, we import a lot of food. also, if we are health, doctors wont make as much $$. just my two sense
11 :
Because they use crappy products in junk food and its easier to mass produce it. Organic products are more expensive since they don't use pesticides they lose a good portion of the crop compared to companies that use chemicals to yield a bigger crop. So basically fast food or junk food is like buying clothes or furniture from china that is one size fits all and cheaply made. Healthy or organic food is kinda like buying a rocking chair made by a craftsman who puts more work into it. So more time and effort go into healthy foods.
12 :
Because the manufactures know that people who purchase these foods are concerned enough with their health to purchase them at the prices they set. In addition, the fact that relatively peaking, a much significantly SMALLER portion of the population buys this type of food, also offsets the higher costs of manufacturing it. It does seem unfair, but as time progresses and the consumers of junk foods die off (high cholesterol, obesity, colon cancer, etc.) and the children of people who eat "right" become the consumers who purchase such products, we will see significant reductions in costs as more manufactures who are interested in staying in business, will have to produce these types of foods in order to do so. You can find them at decent prices in the major super markets (even Wal-mart sells Boca Burgers). It's the smaller specialty shops, with the higher overhead, who mark them up a great deal more. I know, I hate huge corporations as well and would rather support the mom an pop stores, but these days, economically speaking, it is simply not a viable option.
13 :
people put less effort and care into junk food that is why it is called junk food healthy food has to be well taken care of so it will stay healthy so people have to put more effort and care into it therefor it cost more. basically the more that is done the more it will cost ):
14 :
This is because the food industry wants consumers to stick with junk food, and so they have upped the cost of healthier choices to deter people from trying them .Why does the industry want people to eat mainly junk food ? It is because the processed food / food additive / GMO businesses are connected with the chemical industry( through the food additives/taste enhancers that are put in junk food). In turn, the chemical industry is connected with the pharmaceutical industry, so here is the set-up: you eat junk food with its petro-chemical derived additives, you eventually become sick or obese and go to a doctor, and he gives you pricey petro-chemical derived "treatments" for your condition." This way, everybody is happy, with the exception of anyone who loves junk food!
15 :
expensive food is more expensive because healthy food is not bought as much as junk food so the price is higher.
16 :
Because with healthier people united states wont have too much fat people
17 :
The producers of organic food tell us it's labor intensive to bring their product to market,which I don't believe.Anyway they claim without using chemicals it cost more to fight off those pesky bugs.
18 :
I think this is a really good question and one I've wondered about myself. Part of me thinks it's some wicked plan on the part of the large food companies to use economics to force you to buy food from them instead of from someone else. Unfortunately it is a certainly a real economic problem. Healthier foods, i.e. foods without much processing and/or preservatives go bad faster which means the cost to get it from the field to your mouth is higher. A bag of potato chips can sit on the shelf for years which means there's no real concern to get it to you quickly. A plain potato, on the other hand, will go bad quickly so there has to be some sort of urgency in getting to it you. Faster shipping methods means more expense. Then there's the inherent problem with the US in general in that it's so big. How close do you live to an orange farm? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty far. So, if I want oranges, they need to travel a pretty long way. Now we have two problems. 1) Unprocessed food expires so it must be moved quickly and 2) certain foods travel a great distance to reach you. Plus, some foods need to be refrigerated adding more to the cost. So, a bag of potato chips could go from the tip of Florida to Seattle just by the force of the wind alone and arrive in edible condition whereas a bag of oranges probably won't last more then a few weeks. Then we have a more interesting economic problem of supply vs. demand. There simply is a greater demand for processed foods then for unprocessed foods which means there's a larger supply of it which translates to a lower cost for you as the consumer. If suddenly, no one wanted potato chips anymore, then the manufacturers would stop making them, making a big of chips pretty rare and thus expensive. Most people don't care for "health food" so there's not much of it, meaning a low supply meaning a high cost. It's cheaper to buy a bottle of cola then a bottle of water because more people want one versus the other.
19 :
It's harder find and more costly because of the ingredients in the food its better for you and thus they charge you more for it hope this helps =]
20 :
It simply costs more to grow good produce.
21 :
First, you have to understand what junk food is and why it's made. Junk food is, by definition, cheaply produced food. Junk food isn't made for nutritional value, only for taste. Many chemicals are used to preserve shelf life which reduces costs and increases profit. 'Real foods' such as fresh fruit and vegetables, don't have these preservatives, and can't be stored as long so the window for making profits is much shorter
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