March 30, 2007 | Food & drink, Organics
As it turns out, Kermit was quite right. It’s not easy being green. Check that. If you’re living on a budget, it’s not easy being green. Environmentalists tend to be upper-middle class folks who can afford the luxury of being green. Check out this article from the Washington Post today. And the author has a point. Compare $3.09 for a gallon of whole milk to $3.89 for a half gallon of organic whole milk. Or $2.49 for Formula 409, versus $4.60 for it’s ecologically-friendly equivalent at a specialty store. It’s true. It’s not easy being green.
I’d like to add to that and say that eating nutritiously also isn’t easy if you’re living on a budget. Look at the eating habits of the lower middle class. My first job was a grocery store cashier. I was always amazed that the people coming through with nice jewelry and expensive cars bought health food. And the folks who were using food stamps and WIC filled up their shopping carts - more often than not - with junk food and very little that was nutritious. But hey, iIt’s cheaper to buy soda than milk. You can fill up your grocery cart with chips and cookies, and spend less than you would on a little hand-held shopping basket full of fresh produce. It’s even cheaper to buy that powdered mac & cheese mix than it is to buy regular pasta. So, if you’re trying to feed your kids without breaking the bank, junk food is a natural choice. No one goes hungry. And hey, the kids like what they’re eating too.
I don’t know what the solution is. I guess it all starts with education. No one is going to buy a pomegranate if they don’t know how to eat one or what the benefits are. But as far as making it financially accessible? Food stamps and WIC help - for those who fall into that category. And there are food co-ops that are moving in the right direction. But I don’t know how to conquer the discrepancy between cheap soda and expensive milk or between sodium-filled convenience foods and fresh steamed veggies. Any ideas out there?
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