Why is healthy food more expensive than unhealthy food?

Question

For example, I can buy a box of mac n cheese (the powdered kind) for 33 cents, or a ramen soup for 10 cents. Or I can get some cheap chicken drums or sausage for like $3. Those have gone through tons of processing, they contain tons of ingredients and additives.

Then I want to buy some fresh spinach or tomatoes, and I have to pay $3 or $4? Chicken breasts are like $10. These things have barely gone through any processing at all.

The same for breads - why is white, enriched, over-processed refined white bread cheaper than whole grain breads that have gone through LESS processing???

What gives? How am I supposed to buy really healthy foods when I am so poor? I'm not going to spend $200 a week when I can spend $60.

:-S

Lots of these answers were really great, sorry I could only pick one as "best"! :)

Answer 1

Because a lot of processed food is subsidized by your/my tax dollars. Almost all of it comes from corn in one way or another.

Bulk corn is therefore incredibly cheap. Industrial processes in handling bulk are very cheap.

It's when you get down to your individually-handled tomatoes, celery, carrots, etc. that it becomes expensive. Frozen veggies in bags are often much cheaper than fresh, and while the texture may not be good for making a salad, they are pretty good for cooking and are often more nutritious than "fresh". Some canned food basics may not be too bad in price either, like stewed tomatoes.

Meat is just out of control as far as I'm concerned. I just try and find what I can that's on sale. Sometimes you can get some pretty good deals on family-sized packs of chicken, beef, or pork. Just be flexible and be prepared to freeze some.

Also look into bags of grains and beans, like brown rice, dried beans, barley, etc. Look for potatoes, they are pretty easy to harvest and if you can get them on sale they may be especially cheap, and are very nutritious.

You also have to be prepared to do some processing of your own, like preparing food for cooking and doing the cooking. If you want convenience, you'll pay for it.

There'll be less salt, less sugar, less artificial flavors, more fiber, and more nutrition in food you prepare yourself.

Answer 2

Healthy foods are more expensive because they aren't big sellers compared to the unhealthy versions of the specific food. They cost more to produce because they aren't produced in as large of quantities and they are a bigger risk for a lot of companies compared to their original lines.

Also, if you think about it, many "healthy" foods have a lot more artificial ingredients in them which cost money to develop and produce.

Your best bet is to stick with naturally healthy products like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. For things like bread, buy the healthy bread that's on sale or clip coupons.

Because healthy products are just now really coming into the main stream, you can find a lot of products just being introduced that are discounted to get you to try them.

Eventually, people will be buying a lot more healthy foods and the price will come down.

Answer 3

Health food sits in the field IE: and cannot go through or into any process, spraying for insects, weed control anything At all, one iota of spray and the entire field is out.

The rest of the process is the same but, when you get it it's a guarantee that there's absolutely no outside interference in the growth process of the food.
So, it cost more.

Answer 4

For the cost of a salad I can get two boxes of mac & cheese and a package of hotdogs and feed the whole family. I don't get it either. That is why the poor have a higher obesity rate than the rich. It is so stupid.
The only way vegis are cheaper is if you buy seeds and grow your own. But, that takes time.

Answer 5

i know it sucks.

fresh stuff has less of a shelf life and takes more care. Stuff that is processed uses less quality ingredients thus a lower cost. I've found that combining the fresh and processed (but the best processed I can find) is a good combination when you are on a budget. You can have fresh veggies with pasta. You have to buy fresh chicken when it is on sale, etc.

Answer 6

SARA,
THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY POOR FOLKS ARE OVERWEIGHT. IT'S COSTLIER TO PRODUCE HEALTHY FOOD BECAUSE IT TAKES TIME, AND TIME COSTS $.
IT'S MUCH FASTER AND CHEAPER TO THROW SUGAR OR SALT INTO A BOX OR CAN IF YOU CAN SAVE MUCH TIME DOING IT. PEOPLE ALSO CHOOSE TOO EAT UNHEALTHY RATHER THAN HEALTHY, OTHERWISE EVERYONE WOULD BE FIT AND HEALTH.
IT TAKES A LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND TO ALSO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS TAKES PLACE ON A WIDE SCALE.
CAREFUL PLANNING AND BUDGETING CAN MAKE $60/WEEK GO A LONG WAY EVEN WITH A HEALTHY EATING PLAN. CHECK THIS OUT;
http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Easy-Inexpensive-Dinner-Menus/dp/1891400339

Answer 7

Outstanding observation, Sara!

I work in the food industry.

Foods that are unhealthy (processed, preserved) are made in bulk because they have better storage times. This cuts down on the prices.

Healthy foods, on the other hand, go bad quicker.

To save on your grocery bill, shop at a farmer's market for your produce. Go to a butcher for your meats and a fishmonger for your seafood.

Answer 8

The reason healthy food is more expensive because people know that people will eat junk food because the world is so over stuffed with unhealthy food like McDonald's. This is why it is more expensive.

Answer 9

Because you are bad for the doctor business and the garbage food products manufacturers are going to take a financial beating so they jack up the prices to sort of make whatever they can on you.

Answer 10

In America, economics rules most business transactions. It really is cheaper to produce unhealthy food than to produce healthy food. Since people are willing to pay top dollar for egg whites to eat healthier, then egg yolks now become a cheap commodity. The yolks are used with a little flour to make ramen noodles. People pay top dollar for chicken breast because it's healthier, meaning the other meats have to be sold at a lower price just to get any profit at all out of them.

Problems like this have been happening throughout history in any civilized society:

Revelation 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Oil and wine are cheap because they sate the poor people and keep them oppressed.