The Cost Of Processing Junk Food

Inside the front doors of any grocery store, the first thing a customer is presented with is a vibrant, diverse display of fresh fruit and vegetables. With its inviting bright colors, the produce section leads past the wafting, sweet smells of the bakery and through winding aisles stocked with an assortment of countless goods. Grocery stores present shoppers with a myriad of choices. Though the shelves and displays are filled with a variety of different brands and options to choose from, one of the more important decisions that customers must make when shopping is whether to buy natural and healthier foods, or more processed “junk” food. Processed and healthy foods each have their own benefits as well as drawbacks, and it is important for consumers …show more content…
Junk food has hidden costs, and it isn’t as cheap as it seems. Even though highly processed and unhealthy foods are generally less expensive than their healthier alternatives, they may end up costing a considerable amount more in the long run, and this cost may go beyond the monetary price tag. Individuals who eat very unhealthy diets or who are severely obese have a higher risk of developing obesity-and-diet-related medical problems such as heart disease, high blood-pressure, diabetes, and even chronic pain. These issues can end up costing patients a lot of money. Prices for medical bills, treatments, medications, and surgeries due to these issues can pile up quickly, and “obesity continues to impose an economic burden on both public and private payers. Across all payers, per capita medical spending for the obese is $1,429 higher per year, or roughly 42 percent higher, than for someone of normal weight” (Finkelstein, 2009. para. 21). Obesity, which is usually caused by poor lifestyle choices including unhealthy diet, has a negative effect on individual people who have to pay for their expenses, as well as the economy as a whole. While buying healthier foods at the grocery may cost more at the cash register, it is up to the consumer to decide whether the money saved by buying unhealthier foods is worth …show more content…
Whether that person is more concerned with health, price, availability, or not concerned at all about what they buy or eat can affect their choices. But regardless, when it comes down to making a decision about what types of foods to buy, it is important that consumers are more informed about the two types of products they have to choose from. By knowing the differences between unhealthy junk food and healthier choices, consumers can weigh the pros and cons of each type and make more educated decisions about what foods they buy by deciding which points are most important to