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Individuals spend less on groceries than most other developed nations. Unfortunately, we also spend more on junk food than fruits and vegetables.
Good news for nation
The typical family of four with pets will find it difficult to get by with a $50,000 a year income, and that is the average in the country. There is good news. Compared to other developed nations, we are actually spending less on food.
According to Mother Jones, out of the $32,051 in yearly outlays from the average home in 2009, 6 percent was for food. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical household spent $6,372 on food that year. Of that, $3,753 was food for the home and $2,619 was away from home. However, the typical British family spent 9 percent of their income on food that year; the French spent 14 percent.
The cost of food in America decreasing for the past 30 years is the biggest reason, according to the NPR article.
Maybe Michelle has a point
In 1982, the average household spent 13 percent of the yearly outlay on food, which means we are actually doing better now. This is in spite of the belief that the amount spent has increased to about 8 percent now, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
During that time, the cost of most food groups has decreased; in some cases drastically. For instance, the cost of steak has dropped 30 percent, from $7 per pound in 1982 to $4.90 per pound in 2012. No meats have gone up in price. Only one fruit and one vegetable increased in price in that time, those being grapefruit and bell peppers, the prices of which increased by 6.5 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
Michelle Obama's complaints about child food health are completely justified whenever you consider the percentage of what people spent on different foods. From 1982 to 2012, there were many changes in the amount spent on food. For instance, Fruits and vegetables went from 14.5 percent to 14.6 percent, staying relatively the same. Meats decreased from 31.3 percent to 21.5 percent. The worst part is that processed foods and sweets increased from 11.6 percent to 22.9 percent.
Subsidies do it
From 1995 to 2010, the agriculture industry has received $261.9 billion in subsidies. The amount of corn produced manufactured in America increased from 4 billion bushels to 12 billion bushels in that time. This is part of why we are paying less for groceries, according to Mother Jones.
The price of meat went up 8 percent in 2011, and the price of grain doubled. This just shows that costs are beginning to go up, according to Forbes.
Only about 15.8 percent of the cash brought in from selling food goes to the farmer who produced it, which means farmers do not benefit from the low costs, according to the Department of Agriculture. The Daily Green points out that this means farmers need higher prices.
Good news for nation
The typical family of four with pets will find it difficult to get by with a $50,000 a year income, and that is the average in the country. There is good news. Compared to other developed nations, we are actually spending less on food.
According to Mother Jones, out of the $32,051 in yearly outlays from the average home in 2009, 6 percent was for food. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical household spent $6,372 on food that year. Of that, $3,753 was food for the home and $2,619 was away from home. However, the typical British family spent 9 percent of their income on food that year; the French spent 14 percent.
The cost of food in America decreasing for the past 30 years is the biggest reason, according to the NPR article.
Maybe Michelle has a point
In 1982, the average household spent 13 percent of the yearly outlay on food, which means we are actually doing better now. This is in spite of the belief that the amount spent has increased to about 8 percent now, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
During that time, the cost of most food groups has decreased; in some cases drastically. For instance, the cost of steak has dropped 30 percent, from $7 per pound in 1982 to $4.90 per pound in 2012. No meats have gone up in price. Only one fruit and one vegetable increased in price in that time, those being grapefruit and bell peppers, the prices of which increased by 6.5 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
Michelle Obama's complaints about child food health are completely justified whenever you consider the percentage of what people spent on different foods. From 1982 to 2012, there were many changes in the amount spent on food. For instance, Fruits and vegetables went from 14.5 percent to 14.6 percent, staying relatively the same. Meats decreased from 31.3 percent to 21.5 percent. The worst part is that processed foods and sweets increased from 11.6 percent to 22.9 percent.
Subsidies do it
From 1995 to 2010, the agriculture industry has received $261.9 billion in subsidies. The amount of corn produced manufactured in America increased from 4 billion bushels to 12 billion bushels in that time. This is part of why we are paying less for groceries, according to Mother Jones.
The price of meat went up 8 percent in 2011, and the price of grain doubled. This just shows that costs are beginning to go up, according to Forbes.
Only about 15.8 percent of the cash brought in from selling food goes to the farmer who produced it, which means farmers do not benefit from the low costs, according to the Department of Agriculture. The Daily Green points out that this means farmers need higher prices.
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