Food & Drink

Why is Healthy Food more expensive then Junk Food?

Food & Drink

Posted by: theblues

17th May 2011 08:57am

Am I the only one that has noticed that it is cheaper to buy junk food or fast food for your family then it is to buy healthy foods?
I want my children eating healthy fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and fish, but the costs keep getting higher and higher that it is harder everyday to cook healthy meals. To help I have turned my garden into a vegetable garden but that isn't the solution for all of us.

Comments 36

Bazz
  • 25th Jul 2014 11:35pm

Too true! It's almost to the point where we can get the same or better as a takeaway than if we bought everything & made it ourselves.

The reasons why healthier foods cost more are many, but one area that has been overlooked so far is that of government & industry subsidies. This is perhaps more significant than any other. Your $2 Burger from McDonald's would cost about $40 without government subsidies. At the same time, certified organic fresh producers are being slugged a huge array of government charges on every piece of produce sold. I think all this info has been deliberately hidden from us in Oz, but in the USA, some of the findings are quite astounding.

Suzie Q
  • 22nd Nov 2013 08:35am

It is so true, you can get burgers from McDonalds for $2.00. A grilled sweet chilli chicken wrap costs over $7.00. You can get soft drink for a few dollars, a smoothie costs over $5.00.

I have an orchard, a vegetable garden and we grow our own beef, which is low fat. If you put our mince in a pan no fat comes out. But it is still hard to walk past the bargains, when I have found a carton of 20 magnums for $5.00.

Anonymous
  • 21st Sep 2013 10:41am

yes i am fully agree with you.. in a market there ara so many things like food which are expensive but not healthyer for our body..which things getting easy normally we likes it.. but which things getting hardly like gold or diamond its costly too,, but junk food is different things..

soph94
  • 9th Jul 2013 12:24am

Healthy food is definitely worth spending extra money on, and I think that if you're spending a bit extra you know you're getting actual food with nutrients as it costs a bit more for quality, the same as anything

Anonymous
  • 2nd Jul 2013 08:37pm

people always complain....water is cheaper then coke, a potato is 60c you can make chips yourself, tuna is 90c cook your own gluten free cake or bread is 2.50 a packet. lettuce is 1.50 tomtoes 3kg cucumber 1.99. healthy food is not expensive if you buy in bulk and buy on special and shop around. if your worried about buying australian well unless you buy organic it aint going to matter much anyway as everything gives you cancer these days anyway.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 01:21pm

I recently bought some gluten free bread mix. I can assure you the packet was more than $2.50. Gluten free cake mix is dearer too. Gluten free cereal is almost double the price of others. e.g. Gluten Free Cornflakes is nearly double the others (they have grains mixed in them that contain gluten --I have checked the ingredients on the packet. At least 95% of all Gluten Free Products are nearly double the price of their equivalent. Tomatoes and Lettuce are in season in Adelaide at the moment. They are about $5.99 Kg when on special regardless of whether they are loose or bagged. Lettuce has been $1.98 upwards on special.

pittsdoll0201
  • 4th Apr 2013 07:47pm

I think children need grow up so they eat healthy food...sometimes, they can want to eat fast food, it is Ok but shouldn't eat too much

Anonymous
  • 3rd Apr 2013 10:49pm

The main reason that junk food is much cheaper than healthy foods are because that they are easier and cheap to make. It is also because of the high demand on junk food in developed countries. Lets face it, factories make fries and burgers because many people like to eat them and it easier to make. While as a healthy meal like mash potatoes, grilled chicken and peas would take a while to cook before eating it. Junk food is very convenient for people working long hours or people rushing out of the house. The solution I would give is to be diligent in setting and keeping a healthy diet, though it may be hard but it will help.

musicmum
  • 11th Jan 2013 11:30pm

You need to get your priorities in order. Spending money on healthy foods is an investment on your current and future health. Junk food eating catches up with you in your 40's 50's and 60's when your body starts to break down from accumulated toxins from processed foods. Junk food is cheap because it is junk. Just like when you buy a cheap plastic toy it breaks easily and won't last whereas a good well made product like Lego will last for decades. Looking after your health will prevent all those medical bills you will face if you don't eat healthy. Farmers markets are great places to shop for cheaper vegies and fruits. There are many community gardens you can join if you can't grow food at home.

Carolyn08
  • 8th Nov 2012 11:25pm

I have always fed my family good healthy food, plus I am a bargain hunter. I try to buy fruit & vegies at the local markets, and at the supermarkets when they are on special. It does cost more, but we cut back in other areas, so we can ensure our kids are getting healthy food. We have never had takeaway food much, so when we do get it, it's a treat for the kids. I don't really understand how the big junk food companies can sell their food for so little.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 02:18pm
I have always fed my family good healthy food, plus I am a bargain hunter. I try to buy fruit & vegies at the local markets, and at the supermarkets when they are on special. It does cost more, but...

I don't have a local market near me and I am unable to drive, so I either walk or catch the community bus to the Shopping Centres it visits. I find that the good F&V shops usually have better quality stock and also as a bonus it is mostly cheaper.
I have seen Vegies being unloaded off the truck and put on the shelves within minutes at 2 F&V shops.

lele
  • 2nd Nov 2012 09:46pm

no wonder we have trouble with our weight junk food is cheap and conveniant , ive overcome this by drinking loads of water and going for a brisk walk daily and i have four for healthy active children that keep it all in check

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 02:14pm
no wonder we have trouble with our weight junk food is cheap and conveniant , ive overcome this by drinking loads of water and going for a brisk walk daily and i have four for healthy active...

If you don't get indigestion from them (unfortunately I do and I love them - especially watermelon) melons are good to. They have good nutritional value and a high water content.

Anonymous
  • 4th Sep 2012 03:30pm

exactly!! there are always ads on tv and signs displayed everywhere to promote healthy eating but they still continue to sell fruit and veg at ridiculous prices and crappy quality. frozen vegies are cheaper, last longer and taste probably better then the fresh ones these days. Very dissapointing.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 02:10pm
no wonder we have trouble with our weight junk food is cheap and conveniant , ive overcome this by drinking loads of water and going for a brisk walk daily and i have four for healthy active...

Occasionally produce is sonetimes before it even reaches the supermarkets. I have seen some arrive on trucks that I would feed to the fowls or pigs.
Sometimes but not always they are affected by weather conditions. I recently bought some plums that had rub marks on them. I think they may have just rubbed against the branches of the trees. They were perfect on the inside.
Some vegetables are damaged by overhead watering or rain running through the leaves. My now late Mother was a buyer for a small shop during WW11 and related to us many stories that she had been told. Years later she lived next door to a market garden and saw the damage happen herself.
Year later when she married my Dad and we had fruit trees and grew a lot of our own vegetables we had the same problems. When my Dad was unable to grow them he taught me the basics too. I grew some vegetables for approx. 30 years My brother hated gardening so he cut the lawns while grew vegies - mainly tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, cauliflowers and cabbages. The birds were a problem with peas and they forced their way around the netting I used so I gave up on them and bought frozen instead

Anonymous
  • 30th Jul 2012 06:59am

I've had to switch to a more organic and gluten free diet so our grocery bill skyrocketed. But to save money I go to the local markets every 2-3 weeks to buy our meat and veges/fruit. This saves us around $50-70 per month which kinda balances out the expensive health items I have to purchase.

trix56
  • 22nd Nov 2011 10:02pm

You know, I read all your replies before answering. Yeah, I know where to get my fruit an veg cheap. I also have a car so I can get there.
My son relies on his feet. He also has little fridge space where he lives. He lives on pasta and noodles. I feed him up on vegies when he comes here. He'salso lactose intolerant. Milk costs more. They've just bought out a lactose virtually free ice cream but it's $5.99 for 1.2 litres.
You can go to Subway and get a reasonably healthy sub for $6.95. A pie costs $3.50. Don't even ask me the price of Nutrigrain or Nuttella. And grain breads. I get my unhealthy white for $1.00.
I do buy raw sugar because it actually is cheaper! But not wholemeal flour.
If you knew the growing conditions and what goes into those frozen veg you wouldn't buy them. They're laced with chemicals that are banned here but they're re-routed through New Zealand so you don't know.
I grow tomatoes, spinach, capsicum but I've only got a small garden. I can't grow it all.
Yes. Junk food is cheaper but sometimes to make ends meet, it's all you can buy. Only the rich can stay healthy.

trix56
  • 27th Jan 2014 08:51pm
I don't know where you live but in SA you can get Coles Multi Grain Bread or Wholemeal Bread for $1.50. Multigrain Cereal has a very high sugar content. You can get similar cereals to it much...

My cupboard is full of generic brands and I make full use of them. I am fussy about my bread though. Being on my own it's keeping quality is important but i find the Drake Foodland range pretty good

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 01:36pm
You know, I read all your replies before answering. Yeah, I know where to get my fruit an veg cheap. I also have a car so I can get there.
My son relies on his feet. He also has little...

I don't know where you live but in SA you can get Coles Multi Grain Bread or Wholemeal Bread for $1.50. Multigrain Cereal has a very high sugar content. You can get similar cereals to it much cheaper than it is.
Generic branded --Coles, Home Brand at Woolworths, Black and Gold etc. groceries (not F&V) are all made by well known manufacturers, some with slight variation of ratios of ingredients. If you are worried about prices try them, if you don't like them go back to a brand you like.
For 40 years I worked for a Company that sold Generic Labelled Goods and negotiated deals for both for Groceries and F& V. both generic and name brand packaged stock.
Generic Labelled pre-packed Fruit and Veg. are grown by reputable growers often in your home state and sometimes even have the growers' names on them in small print.

silvafern
  • 26th Jul 2012 08:43am
You know, I read all your replies before answering. Yeah, I know where to get my fruit an veg cheap. I also have a car so I can get there.
My son relies on his feet. He also has little...

A blend of both is a ggod idea.Good for the metabolsm and good for the soul and mental condition.We do not want to be too boring and stuffy in the way we approach our lives, or in the way we encourage our young people to live and enjoy themselves. Plenty of Asian people exist on rice and cigarettes but still live well into their 90's. Plenty of "clean" living people get so obsessed with eating , diet and lifestyle that they stress themselves and those around them out and keel over far too early in life. A bit of good and bad is the answer!

Lance
  • 17th Oct 2011 08:10am

its the whole economy. If people wenr't greedy and glutons, we would not need to rush the process of pushing food out; making it cheap and un organic. Bees are feed antibiotics so they last longer than a few days, chickens are feed hormones to get larger faster. Veges and fruit are sprayed with stuff to ripen faster. No one can be content so the whole wolrd has turned into a market. The saying of good things take time has vanished.

Vinu
  • 12th Oct 2011 08:14pm

Junk food companies have a strong buying power that is one the reason it is cheap compared to individual buying of healthy food

Captain Slog
  • 28th Jun 2013 06:50am
Junk food companies have a strong buying power that is one the reason it is cheap compared to individual buying of healthy food

Supplimentary.
I forgot to mention, yes, the prices of Healthy Foods really are expensive. I mean, we ALL know what they are, don't we? Meat, Veges, Bread, Butter, Milk, Cheese, EVERYTHING we all rely on every day.
Dairy products are especially expensive. Just recently, I noticed that BUTTER has taken a HUGE hike in price again and returned to what it once was before Xmas. TARARUA Butter is now $6.99 per 500g. and ANCHOR, MAINLAND and Rolling Meadows are very close behind.
Milk is also very expensive with ANCHOR and its "Flash" new "Sun Proof' Bottle" is $4. for 2 Litres, whereas, BUDGET Milk is $2.98 per 2 Litres. I don't know if they still do it, but Congratulations to COLES for keeping their Milk prices at a permanent LOW Price of $2. per 2 Litres. I haven't had a Mail from them for ages, either.
Yesterday I noticed that Fresh Tomatoes had leapt from $3.50 per kilo to just under $10. per kilo. NZ Garlic is $24. per kilo, and Chinese Garlic of unknown quality, $2. per mesh tube of ten bulbs. It was reported that their garlic comes from many sources and some are even "cleaned" in Formaldehyde, sewerage, etc. I avoid it. It is recognised by the root end being cleanly scooped out with no roots at all, and the bulbs looking all nice and clean and uniform. DON'T TRUST it!
BREAD!!! Boy, are WE being taken for a ride!! The Bakery in New World and others. They charge like wounded bulls. Some loaves, like a simple Vienna are $3.99 each. They're very light and fluffy. Nothing really to them and they cost THAT much? Crikey, You could eat a WHOLE one as a Sub Sandwich and share it with a mate. Even worse are the "GlutenFree" Breads. They're the size of a brick and cost around $10. each! I really feel sorry for the people who have no choice but to eat those kinds of foods. They're being taken advantage of because of their Helath condition.
Be VERY CAREFUL of what you buy!! Sometimes you are actually paying for just THE NAME or Brand of a product. Read Rolls. $2. for Six. Same thing with a French Name, $6 for SIX. etc. Don't be fooled!! Shop carefully and avoid GIMMICKS and fancy names.

Captain Slog
  • 28th Jun 2013 06:01am
Junk food companies have a strong buying power that is one the reason it is cheap compared to individual buying of healthy food

Hello Everyone,
I'm back! Its been a while, but, I haven't had a MAil from the Cafe' for ages until now.
I'm very sorry, but I feel I must protest about the term "Junk Food." There is NO SUCH THING as "junk food," only JUNK thinking. FOOD is FOOD, unless some idiot has really well and truly turned it into junk by burning it, making a HUGE mess of it, making it unfit to eat, etc. You get the picture.
As for the companies implied, yes, they entice you to come and enjoy their meals, but, they MUST be good if everyone OVER EATS on them. People have MINDs and they chould know how to use them. It is up to them to control WHAT they eat and HOW MUCH they eat. But, to call the food they eat "junk" just because they over do it and they turn into something resembling Jabba The Hutt? That is very wrong!
The HEALTHIEST Burger I ever had was at McDonald's (I DON'T want to hear any put downs about this either!), and it is my all time FAVOURITE Burger. It is The McFeast. In case anyone isn't familiar with it, it is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Lettuce, Onion and Tomato. It mightn't sound like much, but, there is more Salad with that burger than you would ever get with any other. Its mostly Lettuce, but there is also a nice big slice of Tomato as well as nice chunks of chopped Raw Onion. LOVELY! Lately, the Grand Angus has appeared on the Menu, and that, too, is a very lovley burger, with just as much Salad.
I always go for the Burgers with lots of Salad with it. I occasionally have the other, too, but they are just Treats, and I never over do it. Besides, I only ever get there occasionally.
Its all a matter of PERSONAL choice. Its up to YOU to decide WHAT you eat and HOW MUCH.
KFC? Forget it! Very little Salad with it. I just DON'T go there. Only their burgers are making a slight difference. I haven't tried any, though.
And now? Pizzas. My favourite Pizzas are. . . . .

Greeneyes
  • 4th Aug 2011 06:18pm

I have also wondered why items such as brown rice or raw sugar (which are products made without as many procedures than their common buddies white rice or refined white sugar) are sold more expensive.

Surely it makes sense to sell products which are cheaper to produce (less procedures) for a cheaper price... This really annoys me as when I try to buy more healthy options, I am forced to pay more.

Dientedulce
  • 12th Jul 2011 01:04pm

It's true, the price of good, healthy food in the supermarkets is a disgrace! Thank goodness for the farmers' markets and independent fruit and veg shops. Not only are they selling fresher food that is better value for money, but I am happier supporting them than the big multinational supermarket chains.

Dientedulce
  • 12th Jul 2011 11:59am

It's true, the price of good, healthy food in the supermarkets is a disgrace! Thank goodness for the farmers' markets and independent fruit and veg shops. Not only are they selling fresher food that is better value for money, but I am happier supporting them than the big multinational supermarket chains.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 01:58pm
It's true, the price of good, healthy food in the supermarkets is a disgrace! Thank goodness for the farmers' markets and independent fruit and veg shops. Not only are they selling fresher food...

You will be pleased to know that not all supermarkets are multinational chains.
Foodland IGA Supermarkets and IGA Fresh Supermarkets (2 different banners) and all individually owned. They do their own buying. Some Store Owners have more than one store and have Managers in them. (e.g. in SA some Foodland IGA which do this are owned by Drakes, Romeos and Chapleys ---family owned businesses. There probably others. They are the ones I have personally had contact with during my working days). There are several others and I know there is some interstate too.---some under other banner names and individual names too.

luckaholic
  • 7th Jul 2011 08:26pm

Its not really if you put some thought into it. I just got a huuuuge box of fruit and veg for $25 today, and best of all it was delivered to my home for free!!!
Some junk might be cheap, but its empty calories.....it doesnt fill you up.
We also buy our meat from a factory outlet butcher, it is much cheaper and tastes 1000 times nicer than supermarket rubbish!!!

Leo
  • 25th Jul 2012 01:07pm
Its not really if you put some thought into it. I just got a huuuuge box of fruit and veg for $25 today, and best of all it was delivered to my home for free!!!
Some junk might be cheap, but...

I agree but you can buy good fruit and veggies at the supermarkets you just need to look at it first. Same goes with meat.

silvafern
  • 6th Jul 2011 03:15pm

Let them eat rubbish! They will survive!

Leo
  • 25th Jul 2012 01:08pm
Let them eat rubbish! They will survive!

If they eat to much rubbish your dentist bills will increase

mummybear
  • 3rd Jul 2011 07:09pm

Yip it is true! The manufacturers know how to get their monies worth. They know that people like healthy, so they slap on the price knowing that people will buy it anyway because of how good it is for them.

Having your own vege garden is the best, shopping at markets is great or maybe that vege man on the side of the road if you have any in your area, they are cheap and good food.

Go fishing every now and then as a fun family outing and maybe some yummy fish to top off a good day. Do you know a farmer who sells meat? (Legally of cause) This could be cheaper than going to the shops.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 02:26pm
Yip it is true! The manufacturers know how to get their monies worth. They know that people like healthy, so they slap on the price knowing that people will buy it anyway because of how good it...

Raw Sugar is more expensive yet uses less processing. There are many foods like that.
Getting away from foods, fuel used in farm vehicles such as tractors, harvesters etc, and other road transport (it transports our food) is far more than unleaded petrol yet it is cheaper to refine. Even some of the oil companies will admit to that.
We are being ripped off because of the price of fuel over & over because of that. It all adds to the price of our food, whether it be fresh or processed in some way.

monday16
  • 16th Jun 2011 12:38pm

Yes it's true. My husband and I agree with you. We don't have any kids yet but it's getting expensive to buy healthy foods.

Try to get fruits and vegs from the market, it's not as expensive as the fruit shops & especially supermarket. If I'm desperate, I would buy frozen veg, they're actually better in quality because they're frozen (as in the vitamin contained in them).

Notice why the nation grew bigger and unhealthy these days? Because it gets too expensive to buy healthy meal. People with less money usually are unhealthy too because of this problem.

Growing your own vegs and fruits is a good solution, this would also teach the kids about fruits & vegs. I saw the Jamie Oliver School Diners documentation and I couldn't believe that kids does not know what asparagus & leek, they never tasted fresh strawberries.

jjdrer
  • 27th Jan 2014 01:47pm
Yes it's true. My husband and I agree with you. We don't have any kids yet but it's getting expensive to buy healthy foods.

Try to get fruits and vegs from the market, it's not as...

Fruit and Veg. is sometimes several days old when it hits the supermarket shelves as some growers have the ability to put hte produce in cool rooms for a few days until taken to market or sold to supermarkets. A few years ago a relative of mine who was a truck driver took peas and other vegetables to a frozen food processor less than an hours drive away. When he got there he was asked if he knew if there was more crop being picked and loaded onto another truck as they were going to process them the same day. Some places snap freeze then by steaming them, admittedly in bulk -- not by blanching them directly in water which removes a fair amount of nutriment. In actual fact they have often have a lot more than those which have been stored in cool rooms. Some growers and store some types of Veg in coll rooms for several weeks. A lady I used to work for actually saw pumpkins in a cool room on racks that had been there for over 4 months.

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