A Graphic on the Cost of Fast Food

I've blogged extensively in the past about the health-destroying effects of fast food, but this week, I'm posting a graphic on the wallet-destroying effects of fast food. One of the main arguments made about fast food is that it's simply less expensive, and that's why it's causing such health problems amongst people of lower socioeconomic status. As this graphic, created by the New York Times, illustrates, that's simply not the case.

The accompanying article goes into a detailed analysis of why people continue to purchase more expensive food, even when they are strapped for cash. Access is a big issue, as is time - many folks simply do not have the time to cook for themselves, nor do they have the know-how to make meals they want to eat. There's a lot of inertia holding these behaviors in place, but as I've said before, we're a people who have solved some pretty astronomical problems - it's time we dealt with this one.