Myth-busters: Is healthy eating really too expensive?

As well as Jennifer Bowden’s columns in the NZ Listener and here at listener.co.nz, subscribers can access her fortnightly “Myth busters” column, in which she explores myths around food and nutrition. This week, she looks at healthy eating on a budget.

People often say healthy eating is ridiculously expensive, making it almost as difficult as finding a perfectly ripe avocado at the supermarket, ie, nearly impossible.

Post-Covid price hikes have been blamed for making healthy eating unattainable for many, but the fact is that concerns about the cost of fresh produce existed even two decades ago, as a 2004 study in Health Education Research noted.

So, is healthy eating genuinely too expensive, or is it just an excuse to avoid brussels sprouts?

Weekly costs for a basic diet in New Zealand’s main centres have risen by about 25% during the past decade, from $67-$71 per week in 2014 for an average male to $86-$90 in 2023, and from $57-$61 to $73-$77 for an average female, according to the University of Otago’s 2023 Food Cost Survey.

In May, the Ministry of Health’s report Rebalancing our Food System highlighted that cost is the one major hurdle to healthy eating. It noted that many people have limited access to affordable, nutritious food, but unhealthy options are far more prevalent.

Similarly, a 2023 British report, The Broken Plate, found that healthy food is typically twice as expensive per calorie as unhealthy food. A 2024 study in Appetite noted that healthier food is significantly more expensive. Less healthy food cost 33 pence per 100 calories, compared to 81 pence for healthier options like fruits and vegetables.

Economists have found that fixed costs in the supply chain play a much larger role in the price of fruit and vegetables than in less-nutritious foods. A 2022 University of Warwick report estimated that those costs distort healthier food prices by at least 40% in the UK. As fruit and vegetables are perishable, they require frequent restocking. Shelf-stable, less-nutritious foods can be stored longer, allowing retailers to buy in bulk and sell at lower prices.

So how do we eat healthily on a limited budget, when healthy eating is expensive? Here are some suggestions to reduce food costs and boost your healthy food intake: