News Post #1: Why McDonalds is always crowded

Welcome to America! Land of the cheeseburger!

I will spend the next 500 words or so ranting about how backwards America actually is, at least where food is concerned.

I was delighted when, while searching through Google's news section for today's post, I saw this headline. 

Eating healthy food costs more money in U.S.

Picture this: A serene Washington University backdrop. Students milling about, many of them coming from the Student Union with lunch in their hands. A variety of fast food is available, including Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and Burger King. Only one person leaves the Student Union with anything resembling health food.

Is this because the fast food tastes better? Not according to a recent Washington University study. They looked at the economic impact of following the dietary guidelines fighting obesity set down by the U.S. government. Those guidelines recommend eating more potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D, and calcium. According to W.U.'s study, raising one's potassium intake can add $380 to the average person's yearly food costs. Apparently, the average person already spends about $4000 on groceries every year. 

With prices at the grocery store going up up up, that Big Mac is looking better and better. 

Let's face it, people with higher incomes are going to eat healthier. That is, until Whole Foods stops charging outrageous prices for "organic" produce. Let's put on a lower income person's shoes for a moment.

Here's a man - we'll call him Sam - who lives at or below the poverty line:

Confused about the poverty line, Sam? You probably aren't alone.
The poverty line in America is "the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living" (thanks Wikipedia)
About 13 - 17% of Americans (that's somewhere between 40 and 52 million people) live below the poverty line at any given time and about 40% (that's 123 million) will fall below it in a ten year span.
The poverty level for 2011 was set at $22,350 yearly income for a family of four.
Here's some food facts related to poverty:
In 2002 89% of American households (275 million people) had access to food at all times. Meaning that 11% (34 million people) did not.

Sam can't afford to live in the nice middle class neighborhood with the nice grocery stores. He has to live in a low income area with few grocery stores - and those grocery stores tend to carry less fresh and healthy food. When his local store does have fresh or healthy food, Sam often can't afford it because it is so much more expensive. In fact, it is cheaper for Sam to just go to McDonalds and buy off the dollar menu than it is for him to take the bus to the store, buy overpriced food, and take the bus home again.

This is why America is obese. Because the food we should be eating is overpriced and hard to find and the food we shouldn't be eating is right next door.

Think about Sam the next time you visit Whole Foods.





Sources:
Reuters
Wikipedia