In 2010, Americans spent just over 9 percent of their disposable income on food (5.5 percent at home and 3.9 percent eating out).
i This is a dramatically lower percentage spent just decades ago in the early 1960s, when over 17 percent was spent on food, and even more of a "bargain" compared to 1930, when Americans spent over 24 percent of their disposable income to feed their families.
When you compare what Americans spend to what people in other countries spend, you'll also notice some great disparities.
On the surface, having cheaper food may seem like an advantage, but in reality while Americans may be saving a few dollars on their meals, they're paying big time in terms of their health, and the health of the planet.
No Place on the Planet Has Cheaper Food Than the United States As reported in TreeHugger, professor Mark J. Perry stated on his
Carpe Diem blog:
ii
"... compared to other countries, there's no other place on the planet that has cheaper food than the U.S. The 5.5% of disposable income that Americans spend on food at home is less than half the amount of income spent by Germans (11.4%), the French (13.6%), the Italians (14.4%), and less than one-third the amount of income spent by consumers in South Africa (20.1%), Mexico (24.1%), and Turkey (24.5%), which is about what Americans spent DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, and far below what consumers spend in Kenya (45.9%) and Pakistan (45.6%)."
Unfortunately, the "faster, bigger, cheaper" approach to food production that the United States has mastered is unsustainable and contributing to the destruction of our planet and your health. Michael Pollan, author of
The Omnivore's Dilemma and a number of other bestsellers, said it best:
"Cheap food is an illusion. There is no such thing as cheap food. The real cost of the food is paid somewhere. And if it isn't paid at the cash register, it's charged to the environment or to the public purse in the form of subsidies. And it's charged to your health."
In other words, pay now or pay later. American food may be cheap, but that's about the only "compliment" it deserves, because when you rely on cheap food, you typically get what you pay for.
Comment: One effective way of dealing with issues may be writing. For more information, see this Sott article:
Writing to Heal