American food: Still the best deal in the world

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Public release date: 1-Feb-2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/cfb-afs020108.php

Contact: Cuellar

src6@...

Cornell Food & Brand Lab

American food: Still the best deal in the world

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2008 -- Although food prices rose 4.8% last year,

eating nutritiously is still well within reach of the American family,

according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

statistics. Analysis done by USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and

Promotion (CNPP) indicates that families could, in fact, spend even less

on food than what they currently spend and eat a healthier more

nutritious diet.

USDA’s Low-Cost Food Plan shows what a family on a budget can spend on

food and still achieve a nutritious diet that meets current Dietary

Guidelines for Americans. For December 2007, USDA estimates the cost of

the Low-Cost Food Plan for a family of four (a couple ages 20 to 50 with

two children ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 11) to be $167.70 per week. This

compares to the $189.00 per week that the average four person household

spent on food last year.

Families could spend less and eat a healthier diet. This is supported by

a comparison of the foods in the Low-Cost Food Plan to what people are

actually eating. The Low-Cost Food Plan contains more fruits,

vegetables, and milk products than people are currently eating and less

sweets and sugars.

“Eating healthier does not have to cost more and can even cost some

families less,” says CNPP Executive Director Dr. Wansink. The

United States continues to have the safest, most abundant, healthiest,

and least expensive food in the world. As a percentage of household

expenditures, Americans spend approximately 13 percent of their

disposable income on food which includes food consumed both in and

outside the home.

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To help families spend less and eat healthier, the USDA National

Agricultural Library maintains the Recipe Finder database at

http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/. This website allows one to search for

recipes by cost, menu item (soup, side dish, main dish, etc.), audience

(older adults, parents of young children, Hispanic, etc), cooking

equipment needed, and cooking/preparation time.

To learn more about the various food plans produced by USDA, go to

www.cnpp.usda.gov and click on USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food.

For more information on a healthy diet, go to www.mypyramid.gov.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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