You can get organic Cheetos now. They've been available for at least a few years. Frito-Lay capitalized on the swelling trend of eating all-natural, organic foods. Of all the fads that come and go, I'd say this one is a good one. I truly believe that eating all-natural, organic food is the way to go. But it's expensive!
So it seems organic food becomes both a symbol of socioeconomic standing as well as a contributor to the health disparity between the classes.
What do we do when the food that is the healthiest is the most expensive? For low-income families, this may mean only being able to afford unhealthy diets. That, in turn, may mean the perpetuation of preventable health problems. It's like smoking. Let's talk about reality. Right now at my local grocery store, I can get two 2-Liter bottles of soda for $1.00. It would cost me between 2 and 3 dollars for a half gallon of 100% juice. And whole wheat bread goes for about twice as much as white bread, maybe more depending on the brand.
The truth is that there are people in all income levels that don't eat healthy. The difference is, though, those in low-income levels don't have the option to eat the healthier foods, at least not without foregoing some other important expense. And even my middle-class household feels the pinch of a high grocery bill when we make healthy choices. I think it will be a shame if we continue to see high numbers of people with preventable health conditions simply because soda is cheaper. What can we do to keep low-income families (and everyone, really) from being doomed to health problems as a result of the high cost of "the good stuff"?
I completely agree with you. It is really unfortunate that the choices that we should be making are actually harder to make (at least for those when money IS an issue).
However, there is some significant reasons for the higher prices on organic foods. As I've learned in the Organic Agriculture class I'm taking, the process of producing organic, non-GM foods (meat, grains, fruits, veggies) is incredibly expensive. Organic fertilizers are more expensive, pest control becomes much more expensive (because herbicides and pesticides are the cheapest form of pest control), and cultivating the land is way more costly. For example, in order to get the USDA Organic certification, the land that you are going to grow your crop on has to have been free of ALL non-organic materials for 3 years. That alone is an incredibly pricey task, and that is just one of a list of many standards that every organic cultivator must meet.
This is a great point though. It's terrible to me that organic food (which I see as the most sensible lifestyle, diet-wise) is only available to a select few that can afford it. Good health should not be like a country club.
Thanks for sharing that information about why it is so costly. Much appreciated! It's unfortunate that it has to be that way. Hopefully one day we can come up with a creative solution to these problems, because you're right, "Good health should not be like a country club." I love that!
Why is healthy food always the most expensive? Why can't there be some line of organic/healthy food that's more easily affordable for struggling families who still want healthy alternatives?
Maybe this is too much of a generalization, but I'll state it anyway: Shouldn't people who can afford this food already be healthier because of their economic status? It is the struggling and the poor who could really benefit from some healthy food instead of resorting to cheap TV dinners and the Dollar Menu of McDonalds.