The problem is that it's usually cheaper to eat bad (processed, canned, frozen) food than good (organic, fresh) food
that's because it's easier to bulk up the small amount of real food there actually is in processed, canned or frozen food with chemical or waste crap ..or chemicals that increase the water take up of the "food"..
But it is the same problem everywhere..not just the USA ..non nutritional ( but highly calorific sugar and fat laden food ) is always cheaper than real food ..because the "hidden costs" of the junk are not born by the manufacturer/processor..
Those who pollute the water are not those who pay for it to be cleaned ..if it even is cleaned ..and those who make junk food ..do not build the hospitals nor pay for the treatment of those who are in them because of illnesses directly related to what they ate.
I remember reading "silent spring" when it first came out ..few listened ..most of those who did were shouted down when they joined their voices..and now "real organic food" is sold at high markups and pushed by the same manufacturers as the "top" of their range.
You only have to look at how much the small farmers actually get paid ..compared to how much their produce costs in the supermarket ..to see who really gains from food production ..
I live right on the coast ..a fishing village is 2km from me ..fresh fish gets to go from the equivalent of $5.00 per KG ( that is about $2.50 per pound ) to $30.00 per kg ( about $15.00 per pound ) on its journey from the quayside to the supermarket shelf ..and here it goes direct from the one to the other..the owner of our local supermarket is also the head fish buyer for the national franchise he is part of ..we actually pay 25% more in his shop than the people here on vacation at the moment from Paris do if they bought it at another supermarket in the group before they got here.
The group buys all the landed catch ..so you cant go "direct" ..unless you have a friend who is a part time fisherman ..or you go out in the bay and catch it yourself ..and not all the landed species are in the bay.
A fisherman sells direct ? he won't ever be able to sell to the big chains again , they keep records..and he knows that ..
