One of the largest economic burdens that face the United States in the coming year is increasing health cost. Part of the reason for this higher cost is in the increase in the levels of obesity in America. Higher levels of obesity led to more obesity related health issues and higher health care expenditures. While there are number reason for the increase in obesity one factor that may have been partial over looked is agriculturally subsidies.
Agricultural subsidies affect the cost of food items sold in the market place. Products that are subsidized become artificial cheap in the market places since consumers do not pay the full cost of the good. Subsidies tend to led farmers to over produce those goods that are subsidized pushing down the price. As it stands the amount of agricultural subsidies going to difference products do not necessarily reflect the health value of those products. Following a healthy diet the majority of a person’s diet should be made up of grains and vegetables/Fruits with oils and salts only making up an extremely small portion of a person diet. If we look at subsidies they do not reflect this. The majority of subsidies go to meats and dairy and oils, starches and sugar make up little over 10 percent of subsidies with vegetables and fruits receiving less than one percent.
Agricultural subsidies help to make some unhealthy foods artificial cheaper than healthier foods. Making foods like Big Mac artificial cheap encourage consumers to purchase more them. If consumer choose to eat healthy food but it is completely counterproductive to have the government subsidize the products that are largely used in healthy foods.
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