Healthy food should be subsidised by government

[ByJadeExpert]

just incase I say anything wrong, I have learning disabilities
I think it should be subsidised by the government so it can be cheaper and affordable for everyone.

I mean things like fresh fish, fresh berries, lean steak, salad leaves all full of nutrients that are beneficial for everyone and prevents inflammation and stress but too expensive for people to eat daily

I think part of the problem for eating healthier is that if you have a low income you might not have the ability to go to multiple supermarkets to find the cheapest options. Or be able to buy in bulk if you're carrying stuff home. The larger supermarkets are often very geared up to those who can drive.

Add to that, in rural areas you may only have the option of one shop and often smaller stores are more expensive anyway.

If you have food intolerences and are limited in what you can eat, costs go up even more. Many people with bowel conditions can't eat the cheap beans and pulses and can be very limited on what veg they can eat. Gluten free stuff is extortionate.

That said, I don't think the government should subsidise healthier food as I don't think we have the money. You could argue it'll be offset somewhat in NHS savings but I think any money is probably better targeted at things like healthy start, education, school meals and maybe access to fruit and veg for lower income families. I wouldn't be against a tax on unhealthier food although I suspect it may force more families to struggle rather than changing habits in the short term.

Those prices are accurate. Taken directly from online supermarket shop. £3 for 4 lots of vegetables is pretty good.

Your OP doesn't stack up at all.

People don't need out of season berries and steak to eat healthily. There are a wide range of fruit and veg that are cheap to buy. People should be eating a lot more pulses and beans anyway, which are cheap and nutritious.

Tinned, frozen and dried options are usually very cost effective and often as nutritious as fresh, sometimes even more so.

The internet is teeming with recipes and inspiration about what to do with all these. There are multiple 'feed your family for X' cookbooks out there as reference points.

There are many reasons why people these days eat badly, but if you actually want to make good, cheap food choices, it's perfectly achievable.

We've just watched Country File on BBC1 and it was all about the amazing new technology available to our farmers to help them produce, for example, tastier strawberries, robotic machinery to weed the crops and to clear the slurry in milking parlours. I dread to think what this will eventually end up costing us at the supermarket.

They're only accurate if someone actually has access to the shop you looked at. 😔

Oh for goodness sake.

No. People with very limited income do not have that kind of ‘choice’

Apples are incredibly nutrious.

There are masses of nutrient dense foods for people without insisting that they need berries flown from other continents.

Again, I don’t understand the “privilege”. I chose where I live, and I also choose where I shop. I could choose to shop at Waitrose and pay 3x the price, would that make me unlucky, or lacking in privilege? No.

Frozen veg sometimes has more nutrients in it than fresh but usually around the same

Why do you think the government should help with the cost of fruit and veg?

OP - do you have a city market/town market close to you? Or a Lidl? Lidos do 1.50 veg boxes at 8am

Agree with this. And making “better” food cheaper via government subsidy won’t address this. You do not “need” fresh fish or strawberries to have a healthy, balanced diet. You DO need to know what a healthy, balanced diet looks like, access to a safe, suitable place to make it and the capacity, knowledge and support to make healthy choices.

You are privileged to have access to cheap food which other people don't have access too. I'm really not sure what you're struggling with here. 😔

I don’t know where you are but where I am in the UK carrots aren’t soft and bananas aren’t mushy. I ate Lidl carrots and bananas today and both were great. So yes I do enjoy cheap vegetables. Its a choice to eat the more expensive fruit and vegetables and not one the government should subsidise when there are perfectly adequate cheaper options available.

I don't think its the direct cost of the items that's the barrier to less well off people eating healthily. Poverty can put up all sorts of obstacles from poor housing with inadequate storage, preparation and cooking facilities, to lack of money to get to a cheaper supermarket, lack of time and energy if you're balancing a heavy low paid job with family life, poor health and disability, which many less well off people experience. Also, knowing what to do with the ingredients in the first place if you've never been shown. If the government were to subsidise any form of healthy eating I think it needs to be accessible and fuss free. Ready meals perhaps, or cafés that serve healthy foods. I also know of a scheme in a housing project where residents can attend a community kitchen and are taught to cook a healthy meal (ingredients provided free) that they then can take home. This is supported by charity, but the government could support this sort of thing.

Supermarkets could reduce their margins for a start.
We should support British farmers more.
Nobody 'needs' out of season fruit and vegetables.
We definitely don't need to consume as much meat as we do. Buy less but of a better quality.
The situation with obesity indicates that people overeat or eat a lot of rubbish food. It's up to them to manage their own families' eating habits within their own budget.
Not all fish is as expensive as salmon.
There is plenty of choice of affordable fresh fruit of vegetables. We also have affordable pulses and seeds and things like rice, polenta, couscous. using plenty of herbs and condiments really can be a creative and satisfying exercise.
It's not the government's job to spoon feed the nation more than it already does.

We all choose where we live, and where we shop.

There are cheap & expensive options wherever you are, as I say I could choose to shop at Waitrose and pay 3x the price.

Some Lidl stores do this. The only one remotely close to us doesn't.

The major difference between healthy food and UPFs is not price but ease of preparation. People eat junk because it's easier and quicker to make. Being able to make raw vegetables or meat taste good is far more complex and time-consuming than bunging a frozen pizza in the oven. Too many people lack the education, discipline and executive function to cook with healthy whole ingredients every day, even if they are easy to access and cost virtually nothing. No amount of government funding will be able to change that.

That’s good

Some people don't chose.
Some people actually live in areas poorly served by supermarkets, yet live in the areas actually producing the food.

Everyone with a garden COULD grow their own fruit and veg but don’t.

Odd reply - are you doing research for a project or something OP?

Well yes if you live in an area that only has Waitrose I expect you’d pay more. But most areas have a Lidl, Aldi, Asda or Morrisons or access to online deliveries.

No

That's quite an ableist comment.
It also takes money to start growing stuff, which some folk don't have.