By Shawn Swanson
One dollar can buy 1,200 calories of potato chips, or 875 calories of soda, but only 170 calories of fresh fruit (Walsh, B, 2009). Webster’s dictionary defines whole food as “a natural food and especially an unprocessed one (as a vegetable or fruit)” The keywords to note are “natural” and “unprocessed”, but the term healthy also springs to mind. Low-income Americans are faced with a dilemma when it comes to food. Can low-income families afford to eat healthy whole food? It is a difficult question to answer due in part to the fact that the United States is a large and diverse country, and each community has its own unique obstacles. Many low-income families are inclined to believe that they have no other choice because it is cheaper to buy a McDonald’s cheeseburger than it is to cook a healthy meal. But is it really cheaper? Cost can be measured in many different terms. The cost of a bag of potato chips may be less expensive monetarily than a cup of fruit but the price difference is paid in terms of health. The United States is considered the most obese and unhealthy nation on earth. In the 20th annual survey of the health of all 50 states, undertaken by the nonprofit group “America's Health Rankings” it was reported that “while smoking has been the greatest challenge of the past 20 years, it will soon be overtaken by obesity.” ( Arnst, C, 2009) The nation is standing on the precipice. The question is not “Can Americans afford to eat healthy”, it is instead “Can they afford not to?”
Is it less expensive to eat at McDonald's?
The argument has been made that it is less expensive to eat at McDonald’s with its $0.99 cheeseburgers than it is to cook at home. This logic is called “subjective notion of affordability”, which basically means that it is assumed that buying a $0.99 cheeseburger is less expensive than making one fresh. Often this type of logic is used to describe produce. Many Americans perceive produce to be more expensive than, for instance, processed cheese. Although this perception is inaccurate the outcome is that these individuals avoid the whole-food section of the grocery store and head straight for the processed junk food.
Junk-food is not cheaper than whole-food, and the McDonald’s $0.99 double cheeseburger is the perfect example. The double cheeseburger at McDonald’s contains 3.2 ounces of “100 percent USDA-inspected beef”, 2 slices of processed American cheese, 1 hamburger style bun, 2 pickle slices, 1/2 ounce of chopped onion, ketchup and of course some mustard (McDonalds, 2010). In order to purchase the ingredients to make a McDonald’s style double cheeseburger, the first challenge will be to find meat of equal quality. This becomes an obstacle considering McDonald’s hamburger patties contain nearly 35 percent fat. In fact they are so high in fat and sodium that most grocery stores do not carry a facsimile. For this demonstration the low quality, high fat beef will be replaced with 80% Lean Ground Beef Steakhouse Patties with no more than 20% Fat. 3.2 ounces of 80/20 beef totals a whopping $0.25. Two slices of processed American cheese ring up for $0.35. A single bun costs $0.30. The burger is topped with pickles, onion, ketchup and mustard altogether totaling about $0.10(Prices are from recent Vons ad, 2010). The grand total for a homemade double cheeseburger is $1.00.Fast food is not cheaper, or healthier than home cooked food, but it is more convenient.
Food Deserts
