Choices

One of the biggest concerns of government lately is the amount of obesity in the country.  Each year we hear more statistics about how the nation is getting fatter, and how children are no longer as active or healthy as they used to be.  People often blame it on the food we have available, or the cost of buying better food.  While buying my groceries over the past year I have noticed a couple things about my cart.  First, when I buy fresh food I feel like I am getting more; second, I spend less when I buy the fresh food.

Urban Lehner, the writer of Why Americans Prefer Burgers to Brussel Sprouts seems to agree.  The article goes into the argument that fresh food isn't affordable.  When you look at buying food as a cents spent per calorie, fresh food is more expensive.  However, when looking at weight of food per pound, it is actually more affordable.  As an overweight nation, we should probably look at eating more pounds of the low calorie, and less pounds of the high calorie.  In the end your budget will probably look similar, while you waist looks smaller. 

If eating habits were to trend this way, the farmer would benefit, too.  More specialty crops would be desired, and more diversity in foodstuffs.  With less processing and transportation costs for less processed foods, we will have a higher percentage of the food money pie returning to the farmer, and less to the manufacturer.  People will also feel more connected to the people and places that produce their food, than they currently do to the brands that manufacture.

While all of this may sound great, or crazy, it can't happen unless consumers make that choice.  No amount of forcing by the government can make people be healthy as long as a relatively free market is allowed to exist.  It's extremely important for the market to fluctuate based on consumer desires so that the needs and wants of the people are met in order of priority, and that ingenuity can continue to thrive.