Food is not expensive

[ragandbonewoman]

That is it really. I suppose I’m curious as to whether people agree or disagree with me. This follows a conversation I’ve just had with a friend where we disagreed on this point, but it’s something I’ve really noticed as things (life, not just food) have become more expensive. Lots and lots of people complaining that food is “so expensive” We are actually in the fortunate position of being able to spend less than the majority of the rest of the world (relative to our income) to follow a healthy diet.

Yes food has gone up. But (and I admit this is an anecdotal observation) food waste is prolific. I think we need to change our outlook. We should be prepared to pay more, especially for meat, to ensure that suppliers, farmers, animal welfare, are all getting a fair deal. I’ve always found it ridiculous that you can buy a whole chicken for £5! How?! And then people readily admit they throw half of it away.

Is this unreasonable? Food is important. People on the absolute breadline might have little choice, but for those that can take a little slack from elsewhere, they should. And stop complaining that you can’t get a tin of beans for 9p anymore! Stop throwing food in the bin because you feel like eating something else. Or AIBU?

www.waitrose.com/ecom/content/sustainability/animal-welfare/chickens

cucumber 2020 - 49p
mortagage - £1000
cucumbwr 2025 -89/90p
mortgage - £2600

my salary - definitely not risen by 100%+

There's no indication on Waitroses listing of the chicken that it's free range. It's been reared in a shed with conditions of a battery chicken with little more access than other supermarkets battery chicken. It's sad.

So it is expensive then?

I mean… I have children who love raspberries, strawberries, melon and mango, Just the weekly bill for that 🙈😭 and I’ve tried getting them to eat apples and pears… not a hope 🤪

Certainly we should cut our food waste. I watched an ex throw away half a leg of lamb because he couldn't be bothered to cut it off the bone and freeze it.

Food in the UK can be expensive but if you buy seasonally & locally, it isn't.

Also knowing what to do with meat. I buy four chicken legs for £2.50 and bone them. Each one gives an adult serving of moist, well flavoured pan fried chicken for 62p each. Yet most people will buy chicken breast instead. It has less flavour and is more expensive but is less fiddly (takes 5 mins).

I feed one adult, one ravenous teen boy, a good mix of home cooked meat, poultry, fish, dairy, fresh fruit & veg for about £55 a week.

I’m happy with their welfare commitment, if you’re not buy their free range thighs.

Same for us.

The % of household income I spend on food is definitely less than my parents and grand parents did but I have a lot of other outgoings due to modern living that they didn't. E.g a bag of coal and wood scavenged from the beach would cost a hell of a lot less than my gas heating bill.

t’s always been five.

it's at least 5

Some things surprise me when I see how cheap they are. You can buy a whole bunch of bananas for £1 for example.

Other things are ridiculously expensive, such as lamb, prawns and fresh cod.

Bananas have always been ridiculously cheap but even they have increased in price.

and I’ve tried getting them to eat apples and pears… not a hope

circa 60s/70s they'd have had to if that's all that was available. That's how it worked. And in the 60s and 70s we were spending 33% of our income on food.
Food is comparatively cheap now. 15% of income. It's all the big TVs and iphones that we don't need to live is what's draining the coffers. I know that's a really boring old person view. Doesn't make it less true.

It's all the big TVs and iphones that we don't need to live is what's draining the coffers. I know that's a really boring old person view. Doesn't make it less true.

Absolutely nothing to do with housing costs. It's not an old persons view just an ignorant one.

and I’ve tried getting them to eat apples and pears… not a hope

We get through at least 4 apples a day & a fair few pears. I spend a lot on apples!

If you have any garden at all it's really easy to grow raspberrys. I grow a few canes of the autumn ones and have had fresh to eat and a lot for the freezer

I joke that we need to take out a second mortgage just to finance DD’s fruit eating. I’m excited that blackberries are just starting to come in. Between the ones growing over our back fence and the odd forage along the footpath on the way to the park it saves me an absolute fortune for a few weeks a year (and I usually try to freeze some too).

I know that relatively we spend less of our income in this country on food than in other places. But when I popped into Asda this morning for a top up shop of fruit, salad, eggs, yoghurt, butter, cheese + a few other staples and came out having spent over £40 it feels expensive. I’m not sure of course but I imagine at least in some of these other countries, their food bills may be higher but perhaps fuel, childcare, even housing costs may be lower? That was certainly the impression I had when I lived and worked in the states - even back then (12 or so years ago) I found supermarket shopping eye wateringly expensive if I wanted to eat anything even vaguely decent. But my other costs overall were lower so it balanced out. I’m not sure about childcare etc though as I was single and childfree in those days. And had good healthcare through work - I realise that’s not the case for very many.

Compared to where? Our shop spend has increased by more than 50% since 2021. Meanwhile we are in Greece where a three course meal with alcoholic drinks for three has just cost 104€. There's absolutely no way we would spend that in the UK, it would be double for what we had. On holiday last year we self catered for hardly anything in Montenegro. A fresh loaf of bread was only 1€ and it lasted three days.
It's all relative, our wages are much higher, and rent/mortgage payments are higher, their energy and food costs are lower. I wouldn't say we are any better or worse off.

Yabu. It’s super expensive now.

Eh? The UK is in Europe.

Yes, I could probably reduce that by around 100 and still be getting all the f+v in, but it wouldn’t be fun

It's not meant to be fun. It's house management. Our grandmothers, who spent 33% of their income on food had to keep a a very close eye on food spends.
They had to produce nourishing meals from scratch because there were no convenience foods available and they NEVER, not EVER went out to eat or had the convenience of a take away. No McDonalds, no Pizza Hut, no Indian or Chinese take aways, not even any Co-op meal deals. Why would they do a meal deal? Can't people buy the makings of a sandwich? It's a lot cheaper.

I can see this from the vantage point of being an older person now. It's so easy to buy ready meals and fast food and I see that it can make life a bit easier.

But to say that food in this country is expensive is a step too far. It's way, way cheaper to buy basic fresh food to cook at home than it ever was in the 60/70/80s. My mother used to divide her money up when she got Dad's pay packet (cash, in those times!} Half for food, quarter for rent, and the rest she could squander.

Groceries are the biggest expense in my household. I include not just food in my costs but other household items such as cleaning supplies and hygiene items.

I shop the specials, I use leftovers, I “cook from scratch”. Food is so expensive in my city that it is cheaper to eat out on some occasions.

I usually shop every day or every second day to make sure what I get is fresh (especially fruit and vegetables). There isn’t a tremendous difference in the cost of meat when buying bulk or buying smaller items. We buy fish, lamb, chicken, beef and eggs as well as dairy and cheese and everything is so expensive.

Once you add olive oil, coffee, dishwashing liquid, spray and wipe, dishwasher tablets, laundry detergent, bathroom cleaner, toilet cleaner, paper towels and toilet paper - it gets expensive very fast.

Then there are toiletries such as deodorant, soap and body wash, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, feminine hygiene products….

A single lime at my supermarket costs over $2 each. A single onion is $2. Apples are about $1.50 each. Milk is over $5 for 2 litres. Orange juice is $9.50. Herbs are about $4 or $5. Bread is about $4.50 or $8+ for gluten free. Coffee beans are about $30 on special and that lasts maybe a week and a half. Olive oil is about $15 to $25 for a litre.

I don’t work so the majority of the cooking is done by me. Putting together a meal with protein and vegetables is expensive if you use fresh ingredients.

Absolutely nothing to do with housing costs. It's not an old persons view just an ignorant one

Nah. Don't think so.

My local council gives out supermarket vouchers every 4 months to people in need ( pensioners/ those on UC etc.. between £40 and £70.
I.just got one for £70 and gosh am l so grateful. My fridge freezer just broke ( it's 14 years old) and I've lost all my freezer food.
Had to throw it out.
Got a new one coming on Tuesday
.luckily l had some savings from my pension.

In the US they say 10, in Japan they've recommended at least 17 portions a day (13 veg, 4 fruit) for 20 years. We never upped our recommendation as they knew that very few managed 5 so thought may be counter productive to give them such a high number to aim for.