STFU Penguins

meganwest:

kenyatta:

sunfoundation:

Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

The “fact” that junk food is cheaper than real food has become a reflexive part of how we explain why so many Americans are overweight, particularly those with lower incomes. I frequently read confident statements like, “when a bag of chips is cheaper than a head of broccoli …” or “it’s more affordable to feed a family of four at McDonald’s than to cook a healthy meal for them at home.”

nice find. Also: I need to cook more often.

I’m not going to argue about the end result of the price hierarchy but it’s disingenuous to have prepared food and ingredients in a comparison in this way — show me what the cost is to turn those ingredients into a meal or showcase healthier fast food options!

The cost of fast food isn’t just measured in money, it’s in time and convenience — show me the preparation spend in a household budget and in the hours in a day, show me that domestic/women’s work isn’t invisible, then maybe this argument will hold enough water to not look like further class shaming. 

Yup. Leaving out prep factors is a bit misleading in this case.

(via meganwest)