Here's an interesting fact I just received on food costs.

[napi21]

Reader Question
FoodReference.com
QUESTION: Do you know a statistic about the percentage of their resources/ money that people used to spend on food historically compared to what they spend now? Thanks. Lara

ANSWER: United States % income spent on food
1920 27%
1940 21%
1960 18%
1980 14%
2000 10%

For comparison, in 1993
Poland 35%
Romania 58%
European Union average 21%

Courtesy of FoodReference.com.



This news arrived on: 12/04/2007

This info shoots down the claim that Americans are not willing to pay the people who pick the crops a decent rate becaused it would increase the cost of food in the stores.

[toadzilla]

1. also that the cost of organic or sustainably grown food is closer to the "real" cost of food.

most of the food we eat today is cheap, and devoid of quality nutrition.

[Angela Shelley]

2. maybe alot of people are going hungry?

[haele]

3. What's the income percentage now?

And "real food" purchases as opposed to junk food purchases.
I'd be spending 15% of my income on good quality, fresh food for a family of 3 as opposed to about 7% of income if I were to go to dollar stores and Target/Walmart for packaged or frozen processed food.
That also doesn't take into effect how much gas and time most families would have to take off the extra job they have to work to go to and shop for the food to prepare that good quality food into meals (a primary job only paying enough for rent and utilities). There are far fewer stores to buy good food at than there are to buy cheap junk food.

Haele

[NashVegas]

4. Am I Reading That Wrong?

Because the figures that show we spent 170% less of our income on food than we did in the 1920s.

I expect those numbers will change drastically for this decade. I was in the grocers' today; the price of salsa is going through the roof!

[zalinda]

6. During the 1920's things were a little different

Most people, if they went anywhere took public transportation, but most likely lived within walking distance to where they worked. A lot of people still didn't have electricity, not to mention phones. Most houses were heated with wood or coal, cheap but dirty. Most people didn't take showers once a day, they took baths once a week. They didn't wear clothes once and then throw them in the wash, and they didn't have as many clothes as we do now, nor was it expected of them to have a lot of clothes. They usually had 1 pair of shoes, and maybe a good pair for Sundays.

Yes, a lot of things have changed and we are expected to dress a certain way. Women especially know this, as you can't wear the same thing to work every week, much less every day. Also, we are expected to have certain things, and if we don't we are looked upon like we are aliens.

As consumerism runs the US, we spend less and less on food, but eat less healthy.

zalinda

[SoCalDem]

9. And unless you lived in the city, you probably had a garden and some chickens

you probably raised a lot of your own food. There were no supermarkets back then, and the canned goods were pretty basic..

If you lived near a river or lake, you probably caught your own fish now and then too..

People did not earn much, but then it did not cost a lot to live, and most people did not have cars, and they did not travel, so what ELSE would they spend money on?

[jedr]

5. cheap food has been a policy for years under all administrations;

this is the first year that farmers have made money in over ten . It will be enough to get them out of debt (for awhile) and recapitalize them to a some degree. "Don't gripe about the farmer with your mouth full" has long been a slogan of mine. Anyone here feel like working 16hr days , 7days a week with no benefits and make money every ten or so years???? This ( the resent rise in food cost) has been a long time coming and will last for a year or two. Energy cost are major factors. The wonderful family farm that many of you hold so dear hasn't been so wonderful and may never be again. As your chart shows, we still have the lowest food cost of most nations. The first place people cut back is at the grocery store and that makes it a very competitive business. If you want to see farm workers wages rise, then you'll have to be willing to pay the price.

[napi21]

10. I looked at this info as peoplebeing WILLING to pay more.

If you thought I was complaining about farmers, I obviously failed to explain my position!

I posted this becaue so many people have been insisting that we HAD TO HAVE illegals pick our crops because people just aren't willing to pay any more fo their food, and if we eliminate the illegals and force farmers to pay a "real wage" to their workers, everything will cost more! Yes, it would cost more, but apparently people USED to pay more in the past than they do now!

[jedr]

11. Sorry, I did miss your point;

And a point well taken. If you want to have high quality (safe) food;it will come with a cost. I support buying local as much as possible, to me it's the answer. Your local agriculture doesn't use off shore tax shelters, they support your community and do their best to give you a good product.:toast:

[sandnsea]

7. Well I spend 20%

Lower incomes are going to spend higher percentages, and there were more people with lower and moderate incomes in the past.

[havocmom]

8. One of Havocdad's favorite warnings: If you wanna complain about farmers

DON'T do it with a mouth full of cheap food!

[Gormy Cuss]

12. Right he is.

I've bought some portion of my food directly from farmers/ranchers my whole life because I've been fortunate to live in areas where there still was a direct market connection to smaller farms. I'll pay more at a real farmer's market or trusted farm stand because I know the food will last longer and almost always tastes better too. I like to support those who work hard to produce quality food because it's their livelihood.

[AdHocSolver]

13. The statistics, as presented, are not very meaningful.

The first question to be asked is, "Were the prices they used in compiling these statistics converted into constant dollars, that is, adjusted for inflation?"

Lifestyles changed dramatically over the years that were compared. What kind of adjustments were made for the great differences in product mix over the decades? Back in the 1970's, I paid for rent, had a car (gas cost around 50 cents a gallon, IIRC), took two week vacations, had the usual middle class amenities, and was still able to put some money into a savings account all on a salary of less than $10,000 per year. I also had full health care coverage paid for by my employer, better coverage than I have now that costs a ton of money.

Because today I spend big bucks on gasoline, health insurance, housing, and stopped eating out at restaurants once or twice a week, like I used to do, I would agree that I spend less of my income on food than I used to. That is ONLY because everything ELSE costs so much more.

One more very important point. With the cost of food increasing because of the extremely stupid practice of putting ethanol made from corn into gasoline, food prices have already started to rise very quickly. If they would add the figures for 2007 to that list, I guarantee you that the percentage of income spent on food is already up significantly.

[AdHocSolver]

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