Ellie Grant

Professor Stephanie Hamilton

English 102-17

10 October 2020

Lowering the Cost of Health Foods

The food industry plays a pivotal role in the health and food security of America. The

food choices a consumer makes are key to their personal health. Income, price, and marketing

are huge factors that influence these choices (Dimitri and Rogus 21). Regardless of a consumer’s

needs, they will only purchase the goods that their income allows them to. Due to the higher

price of nutritious food and more affordable price of unhealthy food, those who are

socioeconomically disadvantaged are more likely to be obese (Dimitri and Rogus 21). Until you,

the food production corporations, act on this problem, Americans will struggle with affording a

healthy lifestyle. Healthy food is not accessible enough to everyone who needs it; therefore, the

price should be lowered and fast-food corporations should offer healthy options.

Understanding Price

The cost of healthy food is too high for it to be properly accessible for those with low

income. Consumers purchase the food they can afford. However, many times even when the

consumer can afford to spend more on food, they choose the cheaper option because it is so

readily available. The price of healthy food should be lowered because of how strongly it

influences consumer behavior. As the price of a product decreases, more of that product is

consumed (Davis et al. 197). If nutritious food is more affordable, this will benefit consumer
health. Unfortunately, the corporations producing healthy food are misguided in their intentions.

They seem to be ignoring the obvious connection between food and health. “Rather than

individuals producing organic food out of concern for the environment or other values,

corporations produce organic food in order to maximize their profits” (Barnhill 224). I think it is

wrong of these corporations to be sacrificing the health of their consumers for revenues.

Producing nutritious food as a way to make money is a problem. The purpose of producing

healthy options should be to provide nutrition for those who need it regardless of their income. It

should not be easier to be healthy simply because one has a higher income.

Marketing Influence and Health Food Perception

Along with the cost of healthy food, the accessibility and low cost of unhealthy is a

problem. It is so easy to choose a quick and unhealthy fast-food meal over a healthy meal. A

nutritious meal is often more expensive and requires more time and preparation. Another factor

extremely important the consumer decisions people make is marketing. Marketing has a

significant influence on the types of products purchased by consumers (Dimitri and Rogus 20). I

think the bright coloring and enhanced images of fast food marketing frequently influence the

consumer to make unhealthy choices. Media markets the ease and affordability of fast-food

dining which encourages many people, regardless of their income, to purchase unhealthy food.

Instead, the price of healthy food should be lowered, and this same tactic of marketing should be

applied in order to encourage a healthier diet that would benefit consumers. Due to this lack of

accessibility, there is fixed perception that needs to be corrected. Foods that are unhealthy are

usually associated with being tasty and taste plays a key role in food decisions (Mai and

Hoffmann 63). It is important to combat the influenced idea that unhealthy food tastes better.

This idea has taken on such a strong role which affects the health of consumers. Increasing a
consumer’s health consciousness is considered a method of fighting the obesity pandemic (Mai

and Hoffmann 63). I think consumers need to be made more aware that their frequent food

choices are not healthy, and that healthy food is the better option. My solution will help the way

health food is perceived and aid the health of the consumer.

Focused Studies

Focused studies of food accessibility show the real need for this solution. According to a

study of the San Francisco Bay Area, the poor and low-income residents are more likely to eat

less or less healthfully (SPUR 9). When cost of organic and nutritious food is high, low income

consumers have no option but to purchase unhealthy food. “Rates of obesity are twice as high

among Bay Area adults with annual household incomes below 15,000 then among those with

annual incomes of $100,000 or more” (SPUR 9). This directly shows the impact and correlation

between price, income, and health. I think it is completely unfair for price to have such a large

impact. However, price is vital factor in food choice. People usually prefer the price of unhealthy

food. According to a study in the United States, “obesity rates have more than doubled in the

past two decades, with a prevalence rate greater than 20%”, increased consumption of unhealthy

food and beverages being a driving force in this epidemic (Shah et al. 773). Clearly, with obesity

rates this high something must be done to stop it from growing. Another study found that

surcharges which raise fast-food prices help to decrease the consumption of unhealthy food

(Shah et al. 773). I think this could be another possible solution to the negative health impact

problem. However, raising the price of fast-food does not help low income people afford the

high costs of healthy food. The price of healthy food must be reduced for the problem to be

properly resolved. It is not until low-income families can afford a healthy diet the same as

medium and high-income families that this problem is corrected fairly. One should not have to
sacrifice their health simply because they earn less money. Reducing the cost of health foods

would produce beneficial results for this problem.

Positive Effects from Solution

This solution not only makes nutrition more accessible; it helps improve the health of

consumers. The results of one study showed that lowering the costs of healthy foods in

supermarkets increases the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains that people eat and

reduces the consumption of less nutritionally desirable foods (Yach and Sturm). This shows that

when consumers have access to healthier food, they will take advantage of this opportunity.

More people can have a more nutritious diet and make better food choices for their health. They

no longer feel confined and restricted to their affordable and easily accessible unhealthy food

diet. This study found other good news according to their experiment. “Surveys suggest that the

price changes altered behavior, too: Consumers reported that they were eating larger amounts of

fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods, and said that they were eating less processed meat and

foods high in added sugars, fats or salt” (Yach and Sturm). These are great results and I call upon

more food production companies to incorporate these changes. This study shows that this

solution has positive and beneficial results for consumer health.

Fast Food Options

Fast food restaurants are well-known as the easy, cheap, and tasty option. Even though

most people know it is the unhealthy option, they sacrifice nutrition for convenience. In fact, a

majority of Americans do not eat enough healthy and organic food (Yach and Sturm). I think

people should never have to make this sacrifice. Fast food establishments should have healthy

options on their menu. Consumers need to increase their healthy food intake compared to
unhealthy food in order to decrease the issue of diet related diseases (Mai and Hoffmann 64).

Providing healthy choices at low cost would allow people to combine convenience with health,

something unfortunately rare to find.

Conclusion

Overall, the cost of healthy food needs to be lowered so it can be more accessible. Today,

with marketing and quick access, unhealthy food is the easy, affordable, and popular option.

There is clearly a correlation between the price of food and the amount consumed. If healthy

food costs remain high, it is likely that obesity rates will continue to grow. Studies have shown

the effectiveness of lowering health prices. This is the best solution to the problem because it

helps fix the perception of health food and provides beneficial health results. When consumers

have access to healthy food, they have access to a healthier lifestyle. The cost of healthy food is

too expensive and needs to be made be more accessible. Eating a healthy diet should not be a

privilege only for people who can afford it. Healthy food should be an option for everyone

regardless of their socioeconomic status. The price of organic and nutritious food must be

reduced and fast food corporations must offer healthy food options.
 Works Cited

Barnhill, Anne. “Nutritionism, Commercialization and Food Comment on ‘Buying Health: the

Costs of Commercialism and an Alternative Philosophy.’” International Journal of

Health Policy and Management, vol. 1, no. 3, 2013, pp. 223–225.

Davis, George C., and Serrano, Elena L. Food and Nutrition Economics : Fundamentals for

Health Sciences. First ed., Oxford University Press, 2017.

Dimitri, Carolyn, and Stephanie Rogus. “FOOD CHOICES, FOOD SECURITY, AND FOOD

POLICY.” Journal of International Affairs, vol. 67, no. 2, 2014, pp. 19–31. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/24461733. Accessed 3 Oct. 2020.

Mai, Robert, and Stefan Hoffmann. “How to Combat the Unhealthy = Tasty Intuition: The

Influencing Role of Health Consciousness.” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, vol.

34, no. 1, 2015, pp. 63–83. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44164825. Accessed 3 Oct.

2020.

Shah, Avni M., et al. “Surcharges Plus Unhealthy Labels Reduce Demand for Unhealthy Menu

Items.” Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 51, no. 6, 2014, pp. 773–789.,

www.jstor.org/stable/43832333. Accessed 3 Oct. 2020.

SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association). Healthy Food

Within Reach: Helping Bay Area Residents Find, Afford and Choose Healthy Food.

SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association), 2015,

www.jstor.org/stable/resrep22938. Accessed 3 Oct. 2020.

www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130525/MAGAZINE/305259951/eating-better-

for-less.
 Reflection:
For this paper, my thesis was that healthy food is not accessible enough to everyone who

needs it; therefore, the price should be lowered and fast-food corporations should offer healthy

options. My thesis is broad enough because it demonstrates and provides my problem and offers

my two pronged solution focused as something my food corporation audience can address. My

introduction provides background information and evidence that helps make the problem and

thesis relevant. Each paragraph supports one of my two solutions with reasoning and evidence

from a credible source. The conclusion of my proposal leaves my audience with a call to action

and inspires them to act on my thesis which I think is the best way to end it. I started my essay

by writing and thesis that argued two main solutions. Then I found credible sources and

information to back up my claim. Next, I made an outline and wrote an introduction with

background information. Then I wrote the supporting paragraphs that focus on the main points

and ended it all with the conclusion. I am happy with this type of writing process. However, if I

had to write differently next time, I would try structuring my outline differently, to allow for

sources to support the same points.