OBJECTIVE: Examine the cost of healthy food habits for welfare-dependent families in Australia. METHOD: A seven-day meal plan was developed, based on Australian public health recommendations, for two typical welfare-dependent families: a couple-family (two adults, two children) and a one-parent family (one adult, two children). The cost of the meal plan was calculated using market brand and generic brand grocery items, and total cost compared to income. RESULTS: In Australia, the cost of healthy food habits uses about 40% of the disposable income of welfare-dependent families. Families earning an average income would spend only 20% of their disposable income to buy the same healthy food. Substituting generic brands for market brands reduced the weekly food cost by about 13%. This is one of few economic models to include generic brands. CONCLUSION: Compared with average-income Australian families, healthy food habits are a fiscal challenge to welfare-dependent families. IMPLICATIONS: These results provide a benchmark for economic and social policy analysis, and the influence disposable income has on prioritising healthy food habits.
OBJECTIVE: Examine the cost of healthy food habits for welfare-dependent families in Australia. METHOD: A seven-day meal plan was developed, based on Australian public health recommendations, for two typical welfare-dependent families: a couple-family (two adults, two children) and a one-parent family (one adult, two children). The cost of the meal plan was calculated using market brand and generic brand grocery items, and total cost compared to income. RESULTS: In Australia, the cost of healthy food habits uses about 40% of the disposable income of welfare-dependent families. Families earning an average income would spend only 20% of their disposable income to buy the same healthy food. Substituting generic brands for market brands reduced the weekly food cost by about 13%. This is one of few economic models to include generic brands. CONCLUSION: Compared with average-income Australian families, healthy food habits are a fiscal challenge to welfare-dependent families. IMPLICATIONS: These results provide a benchmark for economic and social policy analysis, and the influence disposable income has on prioritising healthy food habits.
Authors: Josephine D Gwynn; Victoria M Flood; Catherine A D'Este; John R Attia; Nicole Turner; Janine Cochrane; Jimmy Chun-Yu Louie; John H Wiggers Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2012-02-04 Impact factor: 2.125