University of Washington researchers have estimated that striving to eat healthier would add about 10 percent to the average American’s food bill of US$4000 per year.
The “Following Federal Guidelines To Increase Nutrient Consumption May Lead To Higher Food Costs For Consumers” study examined the economic impact of meeting recommended dietary guidelines for 1123 adults in King County (Washington) according to local supermarket prices.
“The Federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, emphasised the need for Americans to consume more potassium, dietary fibre, vitamin D and calcium, and to get fewer calories from saturated fat and added sugar,” stated authors Pablo Monsivais, Anju Aggarwal and Adam Drewnowski.
“We found that increasing consumption of potassium – the most expensive of the four recommended nutrients – would add US$380 per year to the average consumer’s food costs.
“Meanwhile, each time consumers obtained 1 percent more of their daily calories from saturated fat and added sugar, their food costs significantly declined.
“These findings suggest that improving the American diet will require additional guidance for consumers, especially those with little budget flexibility, and new policies to increase the availability and reduce the cost of healthful foods.”
Federal Dietary Guidelines have been formulated to reduce rising rates of obesity in the United States, with over one-third of children and two-thirds of adults in the country currently considered overweight or obese.
The 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey found that one-in-three adults in this country were overweight (36.3 percent) and one-in-four obese (26.5 percent), and that one-in-five children aged two to 14 years were overweight (20.9 percent) and one-in-twelve obese (8.3 percent).
Consumer New Zealand and the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Eating Healthy Action division declined the opportunity for comment.
