Think Groceries Are Expensive Now?

by:
June 14, 2012
4 Comments

...Well, it turns out we spend less on groceries than people did 40 years - about 5 percent less. According to a piece from NPR, and the bureau of labor statistics, that isn't even the biggest change.

Despite the fact that we are eating significantly more meat than we used to, we are spending about 10 percent less on it. But the largest jump is in processed food (things like canned soup, tv dinners, and most snacks) - we now spend nearly a quarter of our budget on it! Check out these fascinating infographics from NPR.

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Maybe food is just less expensive than it was thirty years ago, maybe we spend our money elsewhere, or maybe we just don't care as much about food anymore. What do you think? Has our relationship to food changed?

What America Spends on Groceries from NPR

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • blanka.n
    blanka.n
  • The Fiery Epicurean
    The Fiery Epicurean
pmurphy
I love nothing more than a summer tomato (maybe add some balsamic, basil, and home-made mozz). In my free-time, I cook, read about cooking, farm, read about farming, and eat. Food is a basic necessity, but good food ought to be a fundamental right.

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4 Comments

blanka.n
blanka.n June 15, 2012
Thank you Fiery Epicurean - how silly - cost of groceries? You have to take a second mortgage out on your house to go to Stop and Shop these days.
 
The F.
The F. June 15, 2012
Love what blanka.n wrote, hilarious! I would agree the cost of groceries, especially fruits and vegetables have risen greatly over the years.
 
The F.
The F. June 15, 2012
Love what blanka.n wrote, hilarious! I would agree the cost of groceries, especially fruits and vegetables have risen greatly over the years.
 
blanka.n
blanka.n June 14, 2012
Somebody at NPR is smoking pot. Cost of groceries has shot up dramatically even in the last two years.
Ask anyone who owns a restaurant. Perhaps Americans are eating out more than they did 30 years ago.