The Rockefeller Foundation recently released a report measuring the true cost of food in the United States. According to the report, the true cost of food is nearly US$3.2 trillion a year–triple what American consumers currently spend on food. These hidden costs come from the impact of the food system on society and the environment.

Dr. Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President for the Food Initiative at the Rockefeller Foundation tells Food Tank, “What we’re trying to do is help the world understand that when we pay for food, there’s a whole bunch of costs associated with that food that actually reduces its value. Another way to think about it is what’s the true value of that food? And it’s not just what you pay at the grocery store, it’s all these associated costs that society, taxpayers, and others have to pay.”

True Cost Accounting (TCA) can be a tool used to evaluate the environmental and social costs of the food system not reflected in the price of a product. While the U.S. federal government estimates that American consumers spent US$1.1 trillion on food in 2019, this price only includes the production process and sale of food. TCA helps researchers understand that the cost of food is much higher by measuring the healthcare costs of diet-related diseases, the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and more.

According to the report, one of the greatest costs associated with the food system is from the healthcare sector. The government spends a combined US$1.145 trillion per year addressing diet-related diseases including obesity and diabetes, as well food insecurity and the impact of pollution on health.

Read the full article about the hidden costs of food in the U.S. by Morgane Batkai at Food Tank.