Comment 39927

By Undustrial (registered) - website | Posted April 17, 2010 at 07:15:47

I know it isn't politically correct to talk about class, but if you don't, these issues don't make a whole lot of sense. There is a tremendous correlation between poverty and malnutrition, and we can't simply chalk it up to personal failings.

Yes, one can eat quite well on little or no money. I've done it, mostly organic and vegan, too - with the right connections, bulk-ordering top-grade organic rice is as cheap as anything in the supermarket, and there's lots of options for growing your own vegetables for less than the price of a six-pack. Simply cooking fresh veggies is dirt-cheap and goes a long way.

It isn't fair, though, to say "poor people can buy carrots and potatoes, so if they don't cook well it's their own fault". One cannot always be expected to cook fresh, healthy meals all day every day - real life is rarely that luxurious. Every kind of food - from fresh to packaged to restaurant fare to snack food gets dramatically less healthy as you go down in price to say nothing of variety. Of course there are cultural factors beyond money (many immigrants eat far better on the same budgets), but that doesn't excuse those responsible for our food system from the enormous human cost of their decisions.

These problems, like most related to class, require sweeping and far-reaching changes to truly address.

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