Healthy food, despite popular thinking, is not more expensive than unhealthy food, according to a report published by the USDA on Wednesday, May 18.
Researchers from the USDA compared the prices of 4,439 healthy and less healthy foods in supermarkets around the country, examining price of edible weight, price per average portion, and price per calorie. They determined find that healthy foods are often the better bargain.
"We have all heard that eating a healthy diet is expensive, and people have used that as an excuse for not eating a healthy diet . . . but healthy foods do not necessarily cost more than less healthy foods," said Andrea Carlson, an economist and co-author of the report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
"The price of potato chips is nearly twice as expensive as the price of carrots by portion size," she added by way of example.
By price of edible weight (price per portion), researchers found grains, vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy less costly than meat, poultry and foods which contain high amounts of saturated fat, added sugar and/or sodium. Less healthy foods, however, were cheaper by price per calorie.
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