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Why are the healthiest foods more expensive?

2023-12-29 12:05:04Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Why are the healthiest foods more expensive?

Eating healthy is not always easy and depends not only on the will to take care of yourself, but also on the money available for these foods.

The UK report from the Food Foundation found that healthy foods are typically twice as expensive as less healthy foods on a calorie basis. High prices have reduced many families' ability to buy healthy foods, pushing consumers toward highly processed options. Countries in the developed world are increasingly dependent on international imports as more consumers demand year-round access to tropical or off-season fruits and vegetables. This has led to a longer and more complex global supply chain.

The US is one of the world's largest importers of fresh fruits and vegetables, and is also a major exporter. But while US production by volume has remained flat over the years, its imports have increased by 129% for fruits and 155% for vegetables over the past 20 years.

According to a recent UK study, fixed costs in the supply chain alone caused US consumers to pay 40% more for fruit and vegetables over a 10-year period. Meanwhile, experts point out that highly processed foods - which do not spoil as much as fresh produce - are becoming cheaper. According to them, there is a very close connection between the price of food and how healthy it is. Indeed, the amount of vegetables bought by British households has fallen to its lowest level in 50 years, according to research by the Food Foundation.

A survey by the UK's National Farmers Union found that £22 million worth of fruit and vegetables were wasted due to labor shortages in the first half of 2022 alone.

Countries with a large proportion of elderly populations such as Japan are already investing in autonomous farming technologies. However, automation means more investment in equipment that could lead to further price increases.

Extreme weather events add to the above difficulties. China, India, Brazil, Turkey and Mexico are among the world's largest fruit exporters. And each of these countries has been hit by extreme weather events in the past five years. In 2023 Mexico had temperatures so high that the government is trying to artificially increase rainfall. At the same time, China experienced devastating floods and extreme heat, wiping out its crops and disrupting its supply chain.

According to the World Bank, 3.14 billion people worldwide – about 42% of the world's population – could not afford a healthy diet in 2021. The World Obesity Federation predicts that, without intervention, about 51% of the world's population could healthy life or overweight in the next decade – with an estimated economic impact of $4.3 trillion by 2035.


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