Cheaper to eat junk food

[Miaow]

And they wonder why there's an obesity problem :/

Cheaper to eat junk food


Susie O'Brien
October 08, 2008 12:00am

HEALTHY essential foods are rising in price much more quickly than soft drinks and sugary snacks, a study has found.
Prices of bread, milk, cereal and eggs have gone up by about 25 per cent more than average food prices over the past decade. But those of some calorie-laden junk foods have increased by 50 per cent less than the average, Victorian research shows.
This is a disincentive to people to eat well, an article in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health says.
VicHealth research fellow Cate Burns and Deakin University researchers Lisa Gold and Gary Sacks found all food had increased in price between 1989 and 2007.
But soft drinks prices had gone up by a third less than average, salt-rich and sugary condiment prices by half as much as the average, and cake and biscuit prices by a tenth less than the average.
"We now have a situation where generic cola is just 99c for a 1.25 litre bottle but generic milk is $1.59," Dr Burns said yesterday.
"And generic bread is about $2 a loaf but generic cream biscuits less than $1 at some stores.
"For low-income families, what they buy is largely driven by cost, and that means they might not buy as much of the healthy basics children need.
"For instance, we know 6-, 10- and 15-year-old girls are drinking only half as much milk as they need, but some are drinking soft drink in large amounts," Dr Burns said.
Dr Burns's data is reflected in a comparison of the latest ABS price figures.
For instance, between September 2004 and une this year, the price of chocolate rose by only 7 per cent but milk went up by 25 per cent.
Price rises have meant an increase in demand for savings and budget advice, Berry Street CEO Sandie de Wolf said.
"Most families are doing it tough at the moment, particularly those on low incomes. As a result, more and more families are turning to financial counselling services," she said.
Berry Street's Saver Plus program, created by ANZ and the Brotherhood of St Laurence, is designed to help families save.
Participants set a savings target to be spent on education expenses for their own or their child's education. After reaching the target, ANZ matches the savings up to $1000.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...8-2862,00.html

[SassyMummy]

I'm a good cook, and can use a variety of ingredients... but I just cannot afford to!

It's much cheaper to buy a packet of those Continental meal powdery things... chuck in a bit of meat and water and pasta, and you're done.

That's not JUNK, but it's not healthy either.

It can be much easier and cheaper for me to order a pizza and have it DELIVERED than it is to create a meal.

[Mathermy]

well , der!

[SorenLorensen]

i don't know if it is because i buy in bulk or if it is 'how' i shop but i find it to be totally opposite for us.
everything is bought in bulk and made from scratch. the initial cost would be more but the out come is cheaper because of the amount of meals that i can make.

i don't know. maybe it really is because of how i shop and buying in bulk.
i spend about $300 a month on groceries, mostly fresh fruit, veg and meat....that's around $10 a day (then also factor in part of that $300 is personal hygiene stuff and house hold general stuff). our pantry, fridge and freezer are always packed to the max with healthy food. the only 'snack' type thing that i can think of that we buy 'pre made' is a box of chips for DP to take to work.
to go to say maccas it costs us around $20 for 1 meal.

we do eat take out maybe twice a month but i don't like to do it anymore then that becuase i feel it is a waste of money.


oh and we drink a heck of a lot of 'soft drink' here but it is with our soda streem and we add cordial.

[Benji]

I didn't believe this was the case until recently.

The price of fruit and veg is astounding and it doesn't last terribly long either.

I don't buy pre-packaged food but I'm starting to think I might have to start

[Ana Gram]

Sad isn't it. DD and I are trying to eat better but it is starting to cost us a lot more to do, which is not always an option on a tight budget.

[LizzardLover]

Cost of good healthy food is just ridiculous. I wouldnt mind paying so much for fruit/vegetables if it lasted more than 3 or 4 days in the fridge! The way it is, I cant afford to buy it or I have to shop every day to keep things fresh.

That being said, I know soft drink can be really cheap, but it's still not cheaper than cordial or WATER. Biscuits might be cheap, but I can usually cook something at home that is just as nice but using more healthy ingredients (apple or fruit muffins etc...) for not much more money.

I think the bigger problem is that people are pushed for time and dont want to or cant spend the time to plan things properly and as such resort to the fast/quick things which will nearly always be "junk".

[mummeeto2]

For us it's opposite. It's far cheaper to buy & make healthy food than junk, prepackaged or takeaway food. I get our fruit & veg at the markets for about $20/week. It's heaps fresher & lasts longer than the fruit & veg at the supermarket, not to mention heaps cheaper. I shopped around for a good butcher that has some great prices - less than $100 of meat lasts about 1 month. I think you just have to be smart with what you buy & where to buy it from JMO

[JabberJaw]

For us it's opposite. It's far cheaper to buy & make healthy food than junk, prepackaged or takeaway food. I get our fruit & veg at the markets for about $20/week. It's heaps fresher & lasts longer than the fruit & veg at the supermarket, not to mention heaps cheaper. I shopped around for a good butcher that has some great prices - less than $100 of meat lasts about 1 month. I think you just have to be smart with what you buy & where to buy it from JMO

I do this too. I also find it heaps quicker to make a beautiful chicken stir fry with rice than it is to line up at somewhere like Kentucky Fried Chicken and get a bucket of grease!

I know market shopping cant always be done in some places but if you shop around you can save, and once you know where to go for certain foods your set. Aldi have great cheap fruit and veg and it lasts alot longer than other major food retailers.

I always purchase meat from a butcher in bulk, it is so much nicer and fresher. My butcher guarantees tenderness or money back. I would never buy a steak from the supermarket again.


I also agree with OP, if it was compulsory to have healthy food cheaper and junk food with some kind of tax, people would be forced to eat healthy food like fruit and veg, therefore our obesity crisis would come to an end,,although this is a pipe dream and will never happen.

[Beany]

I think it's all a bit of a misrepresentation.

Sure, it may be cheaper to buy a meal deal at McDonalds than it is to make your own burgers with lean meat and fresh produce. But, I bet you you'll feel fuller for longer on the homemade meal that you would on the fast food outlet meal. With fast food, you'll eat the meal and then, a few minutes later, be off grazing on whatever else you can find.

Same deal with a chocolate bar or some apples. $2 worth of Snickers and you'll be happy to eat something else in a few minutes. $2 worth of apples (from the markets as opposed to Woollies or something), and you won't, really.

And yes, soft drink may be more affordable than milk but for heaven's sake! Anyone heard of tap water? I doubt that the teen intake of Cola is driven by the comparative cost of milk.