economics and eating

Question 1

what are the main points about economics and eating?

Answer 1

• Socioeconomic status and neighborhood factors affect price and availability for individuals
o Price imbalance between better and worse foods may damage diet
• Subsidies not designed to promote health
• Food costs can promote both hunger and obesity

Question 2

what effect will global increases in food prices have, nutrition wise?

Answer 2

exacerbate both malnutrition and obesity

Question 3

how is health affected by social class and income?

Answer 3

• Socio-Economic Status (SES) Gradient
o Lower incomes = more heart failure and health problems, lower life expectancies
o Economic landscape can hurt likelihood of exercise, diet quantity and quality
o Adam Drewnowski – poverty is linked to obesity
• Per capita income vs. obesity/diabetes in Manhattan hoods, Netherlands

Question 4

what role do food prices have in the SES gradient?

Answer 4

• Costs more to eat fruits/vegetables/fish than butter/sugar (need more for same # of calories)
• Costs of high nutrient density foods have increased at a greater rate

Question 5

what is a food desert?

Answer 5

• “Area with limited access to affordable/nutritious food, mostly low income neighborhoods”
• People w/o cars rely on local markets
o Most foods processed (markets can’t afford spoilage)
o Few fruits/vegetables, poor quality (“hard” veggies like carrots, onions- vitamin decay)
o High prices (small store size negates bulk buying)
• # of Supermarkets in Inner City Los Angeles decreasing
o Wholesalers reluctant to deliver small amounts
o Ethnic mix makes stocking difficult
o Some ethnic foods must be imported

Question 6

what has the government’s role in food economics been so far?

Answer 6

• Agriculture
o Gov’t gives nutrition recommendations, but subsidizes meat and dairy more than grains, starches, nuts and fruits
o Small budget for nutrition education compared to companies’ ad campaigns
• Richard Nixon and Earl Butz (Secretary of Agriculture)
o Faced political unrest from high food prices
o Enacted subsidies to slash costs of raw products to food industry
o Made strong allies of farmers and food companies

Question 7

what are the origins of massive corn and soy production?

Answer 7

• Leads to lower costs
o Industrialized Farming and incentives ⇒overproduction ⇒ low prices ⇒ farmers grow more to maintain income ⇒ lower prices ⇒ cheap food; calories must be sold
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (1971)
o Market benefits
• Cheap, no freezer burn, long shelf life
o Consequences
• Reduces costs of many snacks and deserts
• Added to previously unsweetened foods (i.e. rolls)
• Possible metabolic differences

Question 8

why are prices rising so much?

Answer 8

• Failing harvests in producing countries (climate change?)
• Biofuel (supported by subsidies) reduces grain supplies
• Diet shift in developing countries from grain to livestock… waste of grain as feed
• High energy costs increase price of fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation and transportation
• Agriculture policies can reduce production and supply

Question 9

what has the FAO done to combat soaring food prices?

Answer 9

• Help smallholder farmers grow more food and earn more money
• Advise governments on policy measures in response to the crisis (guidebook)
• Political pressure on donor agencies to act efficiently

Question 10

what are the benefits from high food prices?

Answer 10

• Developing nations couldn’t compete with low cost agricultural goods from overseas
• Now there’s an incentive to invest and secure a sustainable future
• Local gov’ts must invest in technology, infrastructure and markets