The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture explores and cultivates alternatives that secure healthier people and landscapes in Iowa and the nation.
Are healthy foods more expensive?
It depends on how you measure the price. A new USDA study compares prices of healthy and less-healthy foodsusing three different measures: the price per calorie, the price per unit of edible weight, and the price of an average portion. For all metrics except for the price of food energy, the authors find that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods (defined in the study as foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar and/or sodium, or that contribute little to meeting dietary recommendations). Learn more here
The Leopold Center also looked at food prices, only our study compared "local" and "conventionally sourced" foods. What do you think our 2009 project found? Check it out here
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture |
Ames, Iowa 50011 |
(515) 294-3711 |
leocenter@iastate.edu