The Cost Of Food In America

Food Consumption

The chart above, first posted at Carpe Diem, is an interesting snapshot of America.  We have the lowest food costs in the world.

Interesting threads in the comments.  I’d add that Household Compensation includes money spent as a result of various programs; food stamps et. al.

From the post:

Relative to our total household spending, Americans have the most affordable food on the planet — only 6.7% of the average US household budget goes to food consumed at home. European countries like Spain, France, Belgium, and Norway spend twice that amount on food as a share of total expenditures, and consumers in countries like Turkey, China, and Mexico spend three times as much of their household budgets on food as Americans (see full list of countries at the link above).

For America’s increasingly affordable food over time, which has also been the most affordable in the world as a share of household spending for many years, we can thank the innovation, technological advances, and ever-greater supply-chain and distributional efficiencies that drive America’s farming industry, which in turn drive down food prices relative to other goods and services and relative to our income.

9 responses to “The Cost Of Food In America

  1. yes, but now you need to correlate cost of food, quality of food, and health of the consumers. if the US spent more on quality food instead of eating cheap junk we’d be saving a bundle on health care.

    • yes, but now you need to correlate cost of food, quality of food, and health of the consumers. if the US spent more on quality food instead of eating cheap junk we’d be saving a bundle on health care.

      Granted you can still eat crap at home, but this amount speaks to the food consumption of “at home” food. Not restaurant food.

  2. The quality of food in the US is substandard, full of chemicals, genetically modified and tastes bland. I love going to Italy and really tasting quality vegetables and fruits. For me, I think this is a case of you get what you pay for – and I do think John has a point that it may come back to us in the form of high health care costs.

    • I love going to Italy and really tasting quality vegetables and fruits. For me, I think this is a case of you get what you pay for

      Remember, you cannot complain of hunger when you insist on high food prices.

  3. Government subsidized grain fed to cows to produce $2 hamburgers plays into that cost metric for sure. More people are eating fast food/packaged food and not cooking which is where so many problems arise.

    • Government subsidized grain fed to cows to produce $2 hamburgers plays into that cost metric for sure.

      Agreed.

      And check out what we pay for sugar. The government continues to tariff foreign sugar which forces food makers to use other versions. And we get fat and sick.

  4. American food rivals Europe’s food – you just have to pay a visit to your local farmer’s market, and get your ass in the kitchen to cook it. But for those of us that work, and live in a country that didn’t receive a bailout, the fast and easy option is appealing.

    I think those frozen pies and pre-made patties are a life preserver. If you are pressed for time, you are still all able to sit down together and eat. Taste? Hmmm… I’ve always felt the taste of food is enhanced by the company one is dining with.

    • But for those of us that work, and live in a country that didn’t receive a bailout, the fast and easy option is appealing.

      It’s a trade-off to be sure. The point should be made that we no longer have a poor class that suffers from hunger; rather they suffer from obesity.

  5. No worries. Our slim and trim FLOTUS will handle that.

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