Quote:

If fruits, veggies and nice meat consumption are all going down, I think it's fair to assume stuff like pasta is going up. It's the cheapest way to get significant calorie intake.

Possibly, but as I saw, we've got no data on it, and it's complicated by the fact that it's a rare person that'll eat a bowl of pasta plus nothing. Usually carbs are eaten in conjuction with meat, veg or both.

Quote:

Sorry, I don't think I understand what you're saying.

That if people have got enough money they're going to buy both meat and veg. If they have less money, they're going to buy cheap meat and less veg, rather than working out how to rebalance things so that they're still managing to eat relatively healthily, even though this is perfectly doable.

Quote:

Mouais. I love steaks but I don't consider them as much of a treat as I would a nice, big, fat ice-cream.

I do - but then I dare say you're not as skint as I am (also, I haven't got a freezer, so icecream's basically out of the question). Exectly how poor are the people in this survey?

Quote:

I don't agree. I think that, yes, it's almost always a question of choice as (relatively) few people are really that hard-up. So, if poor people are spending 15% of their budget on food, there is the question of what they are doing with the remaining 85% and if they could make some arbitrage there. Then, there is the question of what they decide to do, within that 15% envelope. And, here, it seems that, with the crisis hitting, poor people are trying to cut corners. Could it be that it's because food is one of the most flexible budget item i.e. you can really modify your food bill by switching from expensive stuff to cheap one? Maybe. Is it because eating badly will only lead to health issue far in the future i.e. it's psychologically less problematic to give up fruits and veggies than to reduce heating or cut transport?

It's also psychologically less problematic to spend more than is strictly necessary on processed food because you're desperate for your umami fix, than it is to actually learn how to create it yourself on the cheap.

If that's an individual's choice, then fine, good luck with that, but it's a choice. It's not that he's too poor, he just can't be arsed.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.