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    Home > Resource hub > Are healthy diets really more expensive?

Are healthy diets really more expensive?

We studied the cost of healthy versus unhealthy diets and developed a new measuring tool, Healthy Diets ASAP, to investigate the impact of nutrition policies. Download our Findings Brief for a summary of the key findings and relevance for policy and practice.
  • Are healthy diets really more expensive?

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    Findings Brief Findings Brief

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Key messages

  • Poor diet is a leading cause of preventable disease in Australia and around the world.
  • The public perception that healthy foods are expensive is believed to be a barrier to improving diets.
  • Before this study, the price of (recommended) healthy diets and unhealthy (current) diets had not been compared in the real world.
  • This study showed that healthy diets would be 12–15% cheaper than unhealthy diets for a family of two adults and two children.
  • Households in all socioeconomic areas spend more on unhealthy food and drink choices (around 58% of the food budget) than on healthy food and drinks.
  • Healthy food already costs low-income households up to around one-third (31%) of their disposable income. A healthy diet would become unaffordable for low-income households if the GST base was expanded to include basic healthy foods.
  • The project has developed the Healthy Diets ASAP (Australian Standardised Affordability and Pricing) methods, which can be used to investigate the real-world impact of fiscal policy actions in Australia, such as a tax on sugary drinks.
Details

DATE 16 Feb 2017

TYPE Findings Brief

Prevention experts

  • Professor Amanda Lee

    University of Queensland
    Headshot of Professor Amanda Lee
  • Dr Meron Lewis

    University of Queensland
    Headshot of Meron Lewis

Topics

  • Healthy eating ,

Prevention methodologies

  • New methods and tools ,

Related projects

  • Are healthy diets really more expensive?

    Person standing with trolley full of groceries checking the receipt

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Acknowledgement of Country

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.

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Funding Partners

The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre is funded by the NHMRC, Australian Government Department of Health, ACT Health, Cancer Council Australia, NSW Ministry of Health, Wellbeing SA, Tasmanian Department of Health, and VicHealth. The Australian Government also contributed through the Medical Research Future Fund. Queensland Health became a financial contributor in 2022. The Prevention Centre is administered by the Sax Institute.

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