Sustainable Food Is Affordable

Sustainable food may sometimes cost more per item, but when one really examines the costs, it should be found that on average, a diet consisting of mostly high-quality vegetables can be both nutritious and more cost effective than shopping for food "products". I've been doing some independent research on the cost equations between traditional grocery shopping and buying a share into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). As I'm nearing the close of the first month's bill, I'm finding that the cost of healthy, sustainable food is far, far less than the average American grocery bill.

My particular CSA costs $525 for a full share for 23 weeks. That works out to less than $23.oo a week. I opt for a half share, making my weekly cost around $12. Every week I bring home at least 3lbs of fresh, local, organic food.

Now, at $4 lb, it may appear spendy, but it's really not. Keep in mind that when the high season is upon  us, we'll be bringing home between 5-6lbs of food and the price per week does not change; therefore reducing our per pound cost to about $2. Further, my farmer educates us on how to eat the entire vegetable and also introduces us to new varieties of vegetables. For example, before last year I had never eaten a garlic scape (the stalk of the garlic plant that produces a flower). My farmer cuts these stalks early to reserve more energy into the bulb and we reap the benefits in salads, soups, spreads and sauces.

In fact, we bring home so much food that there is little need to go to the grocery store at all, save for staples like butter, flour and sugar once a month. Of course, we garden as well, but we only garden things we know will be in limit through the CSA or are otherwise very expensive to buy high-quality, like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and herbs.

All things accounted, as two adults with extremely healthy appetites paying for high-quality food ($7/doz eggs, $6/gal milk,) we still pay far less (our bill is about $40-50/wk) than the average American grocery bill, which I have averaged to be between $100- $150 per week. These are serious savings without skimping on any nutrition and also not contributing to the individual and social health cost of processed foods.

When we stop to really think about processed foods and their "cheapness" we often forget that there are several profit stops along the way before it reaches the grocer. All of that money has to be factored in somewhere. I like to use "pancake mix" as a perfect example of profiteering: Pancakes are made from less than 5 ingredients, 2 of which you must supply yourself (egg & liquid). A box of pancake mix, even generic, will cost around $3 (40oz) . But when you consider the same 39oz of flour + 1oz leaven & salt or sugar will cost less than $1.50 we can see that the cost of pancake mix vs. making pancakes from scratch is a 200% increase.

Even with my comparatively expensive ingredients, I still make pancakes for less than one half of a box of pancake mix. And I know what's in it because I put it there. One can do the math on any of it, and it will always be less expensive to buy better ingredients and make it from scratch.

Some people may argue that it takes more time to prepare food from scratch, but I would rebut: In a very Thoreau-ean manner, that this claim is a stretch of the truth. It takes more time to make more money to buy more processed foods that take "less" time to make. It takes time to get in the car, put on your seat belt, find a parking spot, shop, wait in line, drive home, bring the groceries in and sit down in front of the TV. It takes more money to pay for more recycling and trash services (refuse from packaging) and more taxes to rectify those processes; it costs a lot of money to run factories that process food. That money has to be made back in surplus or it would not exist. You pay the end profit. Really.

Don't be fooled by marketing: Making healthy meals from sustainable food sources creates a familial and cost-efficient affair. And the time to prepare it is not that much different than processed foods (except maybe beans). But don't take my word for it. Try it yourself. Dedicate one week to making everything from scratch and calculate the costs scientifically. Even without a CSA share - buy very high-quality vegetables, dairy and meats. You'll see that eating healthfully is easily sustainable.

photo credit: www.healthylegacy.org