The U.S. food system costs at least $3.2 trillion a year when the impact on human health, livelihoods and the environment is added to the $1.1 trillion paid each year for food, said a report by the Rockefeller Foundation. Most of the additional $2.1 trillion comes from the cost of obesity and chronic diseases, food insecurity and the effects of air and water pollution.
“This report is a wake-up call,” said Rajiv Shah, president of the foundation. “The data in this report reveal not only the negative impacts of the American food system but also what steps we can take to make it more equitable, resilient and nourishing.”
If healthy food was available to all Americans, said the report, “we could reduce diet-related disease relatively quickly, improve individual and population health, and eliminate many of the health-related costs.” If the prevalence of diet-related disease is reduced, health care costs could fall by $250 billion a year. “Similarly, if the U.S. can reduce agriculture-specific emissions to comply with the 1.5 (degree) C pathway, then close to $100 billion could be reduced in additional environmental costs.” The Paris climate accord called for limiting temperatures to 1.5 degrees to forestall the effects of climate change.
The report, “The True Cost of Food,” is available here.