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Food Check-Out Week Focuses On Healthy Eating On A Budget
February 20, 2011
It’s Food Check-Out Week , which focuses on helping consumers eat healthy meals, despite dealing with tight food budgets.
The Escambia County Farm Bureau is celebrating the week into the new year where the average household will have earned enough to pay for its food for a year.
“Food Check Out Week is February 20-26 and is devoted to helping Americans eat healthy nutritious food and stretch their food dollar,” said Martha Carpenter of the Escambia County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.
The average cost of food in America remains affordable overall, the group said. According to the most recent information from the Agriculture Department’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service, American families and individuals spend, on average, less than 10 percent of their disposable personal income for food.
With the continuing economic squeeze, many Americans are concerned that the cost of a healthy diet is out of reach. However, according to an Agriculture Department study, the cost of eating healthy has not changed as much as less-healthy alternatives. But eating healthy food within a budget does require smart shopping.
“American Farmers and Ranchers are committed to producing safe, healthy food. They share a common concern with the consumer when it comes to putting nutritious food on the table,” said Carpenter.
U.S. consumers still spent under 10 per cent of their disposable income on food according to the latest USDA data. Consumers in other countries spend much more: France- 14 percent; Japan-15 percent; China-35 percent; Philippines-37 percent and Indonesia- 46 percent.
A recent USDA report favorably supports the economics of healthier eating. Recent food price data show that prices for unprepared, readily available fresh fruit and vegetables have remained stable relative to dessert and snack foods, such as chips, ice cream and cola. Therefore, as defined by foods in the study, the price of a “healthier” diet has not changed compared to an “unhealthy” diet.
Here are some tips that consumers can follow to help stretch their food dollars :
Plan ahead before going to the grocery store. Make a list of the foods you want to serve during the next week. Check your newspaper for grocery store ads and coupons. Stick to your list. Do not go to the cookie or snack aisle if you don’t “ need” to. Shop the perimeter of the store. Produce, dairy products and meat are generally found on those outside walls. A tip for keeping produce fresh longer is to store it in a perforated plastic bag. This stops condensation and shriveling. Make holes in a plastic bag with a paper punch, knife or another sharp object about six inches apart all over the bag. When you get home, immediately store any fresh or frozen products especially meat.
For more specific information on nutrition , meal planning and food preparation, contact a registered dietitian.
Comments
14 Responses to “Food Check-Out Week Focuses On Healthy Eating On A Budget”
GOOD advice JANE,
But I have an esophagus problem from taking fosomax and have to have
my esophagus widened every two years now and the only thing that
makes food go down is carbination.
However, there is good news for people who like soda
Publix sells at 3 large bottles for 2.00 a water with 3 different
non sugar flavors that are carbinated.
SO no sugar and nothing bad for me, but I actually think I’m drinking
soda. Got used to it really quick.
Now I have one six pack of coke a month and I share that with hubby.
If it’s hard to give up some of you could try that for awhile.
Soda IS hard on your teeth AND it is very very fattening.
I lost 20 lbs when I switched. That part I wasn’t happy about tho. lol
Please, stop drinking so many sodas! They are expensive and I see so many people with bad teeth from drinking sodas. Water is so inexpensive and it is good for you and helps keep your mouth and teeth healthy! I limit myself to 2 sodas per week, and then I brush my teeth with iso active toothpaste to get rid of the acid and sugar that coat my teeth afterward! Save your teeth AND your money!!
good for you angie,
Coupon.com does the same thing. Just don’t buy any produce or vegies
if you can get them local.
THANKS
I started going to couponmom.com and printing out all of my coupons. Go to publix on 9mile road and they double them. I have been saving about 50-70% depending on how good the sales are.
Art,
May I make one suggestion to you. I love your advice to people. You are
great with the up to date advice like the GREEN on the garbage idea.
GREAT ADVICE BUDDY.
The only add I would make to this one is in many and even most areas
that you would use bleach it would be more economical and safer to
use hydrogen peroxide. It will CLEAN and DISSENFECT and it doesn’t
have acid so it won’t eat a hole in things. YOU CAN POOR IT RIGHT ON
YOUR HAND OR YOUR CLOTHES and you can still dilute it for big jobs.
China the new frontier! Yeah right!! It’s called politics anyway you put it. The corn we are shipping over there should have been processed here there are many other products done the same way. In fact the Government needs to start holding back on some of the corn as we are headed into a shortage of corn because they are shipping it all out of country and making additives to gasolines. We are about to experience spikes in food prices because they are shorting our supplies. They need to stop it.
Why would anyone buy anything from China? Remember in 2007
& 2009 when Chinese Melamine killed & sickened 1,000’s of dogs & cats in this country, when I pick it up if it’s ” made in China”, I put it back!
Here’s a good one for you. I read the other day that we ship millions of tons of corn to China. They process the corn and sell it back to us at a high price. What’s going on here? You mean to tell me that we cannot process the corn here and keep the price down. Well that’s “free market” for you..
Agree with everyone about buying local!
I’ve even seen honey from China and orange juice. Can’t we feed ourselves? I’m being careful now with reading labels with things we can’t grow locally like rice. I’ve found, ironically, China Doll brand is grown in the US, while many others are from overseas. That’s just one example.
just think, when you buy local you are not paying hidden shipping costs, the other day i saw garlic shipped all the way from china for crying out loud! cant we grow our own dadgum garlic? gives me the headache!
Hawghead is spot on. Buy from you local farmers and keep the money local. It filters up the chain and back down the chain for your local communites and maybe even back to you before it is completed. All for staying local as much as possible and helping the little guy.
Learn to use your crock pot. Even inexpensive cuts of meat come out tender and you can tend to other things while it cooks.
Start a little garden from seed. Learn to can or freezed your garden extras.
Support your local farmers. Buy from truck farmers or local farmers markets. Keep as much of your money local as possible..
dont buy junk food. dont buy prepackaged food. if your family craves sweets, make them from scratch. if your family wants sandwiches, cook an extra roast or ham on sunday and munch on that the rest of the week. save money in other areas (expensive cleaning supplies) and move that savings over into the food budget. for instance, we use four basic things to clean our home. vinegar, baking soda, bleach and elbow grease. wash and dry and reuse plastic bags and aluminum foil (unless it has been used for meat, but even then, if you cut through aluminum foil you can sharpen your scissors). having a conservative mindset is the first step to becoming thrifty, and you actually wind up being healthier for it.