Why are processed foods so cheap?

Why Processed Food Is Cheaper Than Healthier Options Earlier in the week in our "On the Run" series, we heard a mom explain how mac and cheese was more affordable than fresh fruit. Morning Edition reached out to Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, a nutritionist and economist, to explain why that would be true. read more

Fresh, wholesome foods are not intrinsically more expensive to produce. Underlying most of the food price disparity in America is the fact that we, the consumers, have voted with our forks and told our government and food suppliers that all we want is cheap, convenient processed junk. read more

So for most parts of the year the processed choice will be cheaper than something fresh imported from halfway around the world. 3. Transportation - It's easier and cheaper to transport cans of tomato puree than fresh tomatoes. 4. Processed foods contain many low quality ingredients. The meat in TV Dinners is the lowest allowable USDA grade. read more