Chart of the Week: Is food too cheap for our own good?

Pew Research Center ^ | 5/23/2014 | Drew DeSilver

[EBH]

As you scarf down burgers and potato salad this long Memorial Day weekend, consider this: Americans have the cheapest food in history, and that unprecedented abundance is largely responsible for why we’re so fat.

According to a new article in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Americans in the 1930s spent a quarter of their disposable income on food. That share has fallen steadily through the decades, to the point where today less than 10% of Americans’ disposable dollars go for food. (That varies across income groups, of course: The poorest 20% of Americans still spend about a third of their disposable income on food.)

And even as the real cost of food goes down, each dollar we spend buys us more calories than it used to. The average American’s total caloric intake (adjusted for spoilage and other waste) rose from 2,109 calories in 1970 to 2,568 calories in 2010, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data — the equivalent of an extra steak sandwich every day.

[Balding_Eagle]

I’ve posted this many times, and have the cold hard facts to back it up;

Never before in the history of the world have so many people eaten such a wide range of foods for so little money as they do today in the United States.

The article in question simply confirms the above.

[dfwgator]

They want to bring back ration books.

[Flick Lives]

Bingo. This is a planted article for propaganda purposes.

[Flick Lives]

As one of the posted comments the article noted, the provided propaganda chart showing lower food cost over time conveniently stops in 2009, when Obama entered office. Nothing ruins propaganda more than inconvenient facts.

[Hoodat]

Whoever wrote this is obviously on crack. Ham hocks are now $3/lb. HAM HOCKS! I went to make a pot of soup and decided to flavor it with ham hocks since I can no longer afford meat. I discovered that I can no longer afford ham hocks either.

[phormer phrog phlyer]

The Obowmunists want you to pay more for everything, just remember it is not your money it is their money and they let you keep a little of it.

[Rodamala]

Yes... food is too cheap. Here is a perfect way to make it more expensive (it's for the chindren)... make this chart go to $0.00/month:

[GOPJ]

Liberal elites and their puppet - Obama - will make damn sure our food prices go up.

Why?

Because liberal elites hate middle class Americans.

Elites won't suffer if food prices skyrocket because they have plenty of money.

The 'dependent ones' won't suffer because Obama will up their food stamps.

Who's left? The working people of this country...

[zeugma]

Tick-tock goes the inflation clock and the propaganda spin. Gee Pew Research, why are you comparing today's income expenditure for food to those of the depression era 1930's?

 A few years ago, the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank published a long propaganda piece about the "myth of inflation" in it's annual report. They did comparisons between prices today and in the 30s and, through some manipulations were able to show that it took approximately the same amount of time for your average worker to make enough money to by, say, a loaf of bread or whatever that it did in the 30s.

Other than the general handwaving (and outright lies) they used to come to that conclusion, the really huge elephant in the room that was not mentioned at all was the huge difference in taxation levels between then and now, that robs thier mythical 'average man' of his ability to get ahead.

[C. Edmund Wright]

I agree with most of what you said, but I absolutely disagree with the idea that free range chicken and beef is not better for you. Yes, I agree, marbled beef is prime - but cows are designed to eat grass and chickens designed to eat bugs - neither is designed to eat grain and fatten up 3-4X as quick. Eggs especially are much different in free range chix - and the yolks look at taste far differently.

Now, is it over priced? Maybe. Is there a boutique chic quality to why a lot of folks eat it? Absolutely. But I’m sorry, my eyes and my body tell me there is a difference - at least with respect to eggs, beef and chicken.

I know much less about organically grown veggies and fruits versus production farming….

[C. Edmund Wright]

…oh, and that’s not even addressing the hormone and anti biotic injection issue —

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

Food prices are up at least 25% in the last few years.....and we have the cheapest food in history? Holy crap - sometimes I think they make this stuff up just to see how many heads explode.

[EBH]

I know! But so many young folks don’t know their history and will fall victim to their propaganda.