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Cost of healthy food too high for some

People on a low income have difficulty achieving a healthy, sustainable diet because the cost of healthy food is too high.

Studying food prices in Western Sydney, researchers compared the cost of a weeks worth of healthy, environmentally sustainable food to an average weeks food shopping in a suburb in the area. The healthier shopping cost up to 30% more.

Financially disadvantaged households would need to spend nearly 50% of their weekly income in order to buy healthy and sustainable items. Financially advantaged households spend less than 10% of their weekly income on the same products.

The cost of Australian fresh fruit and vegetables has increased more than 30% between 2005-2007 due to severe weather conditions such as drought.

Read more at Australian National University

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