Why Does a Salad Cost More than a Big Mac?

We realize that the answer to this question isn't simple. Surely it involves costs of production, processing, packaging, and shipping. Supply and demand. Global markets. Numbers, numbers and more numbers.

Nonetheless, this graphic helps shed a little bit of light on the disparity between what our federal government recommends we eat and what they subsidize. Subsidies result in lower production costs on the front end, which translates to lower consumer costs in the supermarket aisles.

In short, the Federal Nutrition Recommendations suggest that 33% of our daily servings are vegetables and fruits. Yet, less than half of 1% of Federal Subsidies for Food Production support vegetables and fruit. On the flip side, the recommendations suggest consuming only 22% of our daily serving from meats, dairy, nuts, and legumes. Yet, these foods receive a full 75% of food subsidies.