The Dollar Menu

Food Inc. Documentary  Processed foods are less expensive then healthier foods because many of the ingredients come from crops subsided by the federal government.  Lower income families are likely to eat cheaper processed foods, suffer from obesity, and therefore, have diabetes.  Low-priced calories, is one of the reasons why the biggest means of obesity is low income level.

Food Inc. Discussion Guide  The federal government spends $35 billion each year subsidizing commodity crops. This has lowered the price of crops such as:  Corn  Soybean  Fast Food is cheap because all of it’s ingredients contain one or more subsided ingredients.  Most processed foods contain high-fructose corn syrup.

Huffpost Healthy Living  Researchers at Harvard School found that:  Unhealthy eating is $1.50 cheaper per day for person, or about $550 per year, then healthy food.  “Hidden health costs like our global obesity epidemic and the food-related public health issue of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are certainly not included in the cost or your fast food meal.” (Ellen Gustafson)

Fast Food and Diabetes o Consuming fast food even once a week will increases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20 percent. o Eating fast food two or more times a week will increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 27 percent. o 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes.

Terms or Concepts 1. Processed Foods 2. Commodity Crops 3. Subsidized Ingredients 4. Specialty Crops 5. Low-Income Families 6. Farm Subsidy System 7. Diabetes 8. Obesity 9. Heart Disease 10. Eating Habits

Critical Questions  Do you think that all food is either cheap or healthy?  How have government polices affected the cost of our food?  How are low-income families being affected by cheap priced processed foods?