Addressing healthy food access disparities in today ’ s food system
Food Is Medicine
Addressing healthy food access disparities in today ’ s food system
by jennifer freeman
PHOTO : Courtesy Mark Israel at Query Mill Farm
“ As a country , we spend about 1.1 trillion dollars on food per year . That price tag includes the cost of producing , processing , retailing , and wholesaling the food we buy and eat . It does not include the cost of healthcare for the millions who fall ill with diet-related diseases . Nor does $ 1.1 trillion include the present and future costs of the food system ’ s contributions to water and air pollution , reduced biodiversity , or greenhouse gas emissions , which cause climate change . But when the impacts on the food system on different parts of our society — including rising health care costs , climate change and biodiversity loss — are factored in , the bill grows . Accounting for these costs , the true cost of food is about $ 3.3 trillion dollars per year , more than three times the current expenditure on food .
- rockefeller foundation , “ true cost of food ” 2021