Biggest Share of Average American Grocery Bill Spent On Processed Food

A new study in the US has claimed that the average American now spends 23% of their weekly shopping budget on processed food and sweets, making it the single biggest single category followed closely by meat at 21%, fruit and vegetables at 14.6% and baked goods at 14.4%.

The results stand in stark contrast to a similar study carried out 30 years ago when meat made up the biggest portion of the grocery bill, fruit and vegetables second and processed foods ranked a distant fifth.

It has been forwarded by experts as a further reason behind the growing obesity epidemic sweeping the states.

However, why are Americans spending so much money on processed food and sweets compared to the healthier options such as fruit and vegetables?

The simple answer is cost. The dropping cost of sugar, down more than 16 percent over the last 30 years, has made sweets more affordable for manufacturers to make and for consumers to buy.

Another possible reason is convenience. Frozen ready-meals that are cost effective and can be micro-waved and ready to eat in less than ten minutes have become popular in recent years as time becomes ever more precious in a period of hard economic struggle.

For more sweet-toothed news, see this recent Guestuarant article on the weird and wonderful flavours of Rocket Fizz soda; http://guestaurant.com/the-weird-and-wonderful-flavours-of-rocket-fizz-soda/

Photo by Guy Browning