In the U.S. we spend less of our household budget on food than any other county in the world.  We only spend about 6.9% of our household income on food.  What do other countries spend on food?  Here are a few examples:  Canada spends almost 10%; Japan spends about 15%; and China spends about 35%.

We have become so accustomed to cheap food, that I’ve heard many people say “I can’t afford to buy organic food!” or “I can’t afford grassfed beef” and so on and so on.  I’m sure you’ve heard it too.  Even your own family members may say it.

I know that there are people who truly can’t afford to be choosy about what they eat, and I completely understand that any food is better than no food at all, but we’re not talking about those circumstances.  We’re talking about the people you see in the grocery stores and talk to at work and at school.

Most of the time I think people who say they can’t afford quality food just don’t really understand the true cost of their choices.  They aren’t homeless.  They aren’t on welfare.  They drive nice cars and wear good clothes–not resale!  If quality food were a priority, most of them could afford it.

So what gives?  What lies under this huge disconnect?  Why do so many people think they can’t afford real food?

Although I’ve thought about this problem for quite a while, the answer to the question was explained superbly by an article in the Summer 2014 issue of Wise Traditions published by the Weston A. Price Foundation.  Bill Hyde, a PhD  farmer, who can get to the heart of the issue and also has the ability to keep meticulous records of the cost of farming, wrote about his late-in-life farming experience in The Real Cost of Real Food.

When he was close to retirement, Bill Hyde, who had always wanted to be a farmer, decided to live his dream.  He and his wife bought some land on the outskirts of Denver and began Happy Farm.  They use farming practices that “promote healthy soil, plants, and animals.”

As he developed his farming skills, Bill Hyde kept detailed records of the cost of farming.  What he discovered prompted his writing about what he learned.

There is a huge disconnect between our food and food supply and what we need as healthy people, and it has all occurred in just the last half century. It is so alarming that I feel compelled to share my experience.

For example, he details the cost of raising chickens to lay eggs and calculates the cost for a dozen eggs at $11.52. Yes, that is just his cost with no profit added! He goes further to say that increasing the size of his farm from about 75 to 100 chickens to 1,000 would not lower the price by much, since more chickens means more expense.

Then why are grocery store eggs, and all the other foods, so much cheaper?

Grocery store eggs are cheaper because most of the true cost of producing them is not included in the price!

What are those other costs?

First we need to take a brief look at how farming has changed over the last few decades.  As Bill Hyde points out, “production of food has largely been taken over by large corporations.”  When big business took over farming, less attention was paid to the quality of the food and more attention was given to profitability, shelf life and unnatural farming methods, such as feeding grain to animals meant to graze on grass and dosing them with antibiotics and GMO hormones.  Big agriculture cares only about profit, never about health, nutrition, and sustainability.

To explain further why corporation food is cheaper . . .

The greater affordability of food has come about in part due to these changes and because agribusinesses are not held responsible for soil, air, and water deterioration and pollution that their farming practices create. Neither do they pay for remedying the health problems of farm workers and consumers caused by eating and contacting these so-called foods. Tax policy, in many forms, also favors large agriculture-based corporations.

This food revolution has been successful in large part because the industry has worked hard at concealing its effects from the public. . .

To help understand the extent of agriculture’s change from farms to businesses, the vice president of the National Chicken Council says,  “Virtually all the chicken sold in America—more than 99 percent  . . . comes from factory-farm production similar to that used by Tyson Foods.” [emphasis added] [source]

As consumers, where do we pay for the true cost of our food?  And yes, we do always pay the true cost of our food, just not as a part of the price of our food. Bill Hyde’s chart illustrates where the cost of food has been transferred.

Yes, we all pay for our food, one way or another!  Eating food produced in unhealthy, unnatural conditions is a principal reason for the huge increase in health care costs.  Our bodies need nutritious foods to be healthy.  Our cells and organs cannot function properly without the necessary nutrients.  Nutrient-empty foods lead to sick bodies and weak immune systems.  The incidence of almost all chronic diseases has increased right along with the decrease in the price of our food.  We spend about the same amount in total for food and health now as we did forty years ago, but what we “save” on cheap food is made up with increased health costs.

On which side will you pay your total food and health costs?

For myself, I choose to pay up front on the food side for high quality food raised with practices that “promote healthy soil, plants, and animals.”  Buying real food supports our sustainable small farms and ensures our health along with that of the only earth we have today.

This post was shared on Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.