Cheap unhealthy food makes healthy food choices much less likely
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By Jack Woodfield
People are more likely to eat healthier foods such as vegetables when they are closer in price to unhealthier foods, US research reveals.
Scientists from Drexel's Dornsife School of Public Health made this conclusion following an investigation on the effect that price difference has on diet quality in the US.
They examined data from 2,765 people, which was linked to food prices at supermarkets in their neighbourhoods.
The price of groceries was broken down into two groups: healthier and unhealthier. Healthier foods included dairy products, fruit and vegetables, while unhealthy foods included salty snacks, sweets and sugary beverages.
Participants' diet quality was calculated using the Healthy Eating Index–2010 (HEI–2010), developed by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The researchers discovered that, on average, healthier foods were nearly twice as expensive as unhealthy packaged foods, and as the gap between neighbourhood prices increased, participant...
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