Articles

The Rockefeller Foundation is reporting on the real cost of food. Read the entire report if you have a chance.

“Consider this: In 2019, American consumers spent an estimated $1.1 trillion on food. That price tag includes the cost of producing, processing, retailing, and wholesaling the food we buy and eat. It does not include the cost of healthcare for the millions who fall ill with diet-related diseases. Nor does $1.1 trillion include the present and future costs of the food system’s contributions to water and air pollution, reduced biodiversity, or greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change. Take those costs into account and it becomes clear the true cost of the U.S. food system is at least three times as big—$3.2 trillion per year. The true cost of food disproportionately burdens people of color, who are more likely to suffer from diet related diseases, have less access to water and sanitation, and often work in food production jobs for less than a living wage. Americans pay that high cost even if consumers don’t see it in the check-out line. And, if we don’t change our food system, future generations will pay those high costs, too.”

https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/True-Cost-of-Food-Full-Report-Final.pdf