Should People Use Food Stamps to Buy Organic?
In his post Should Food Stamps Be Used To Buy Organic Food? John wondered if the government should be paying for what many consider a luxury. But as Michael Pollan has noted, the poor have a lousy diet because it makes economic sense: a dollar will buy 1200 calories of cookies or chips but only 250 calories of carrots. It is government policy through its farm subsidies: "The reason the least healthful calories in the supermarket are the cheapest is that those are the ones the farm bill encourages farmers to grow." Perhaps John is asking the wrong question.