Whole (lot of money for) Foods

How much are these four items worth to you? How about $27?

In the photo above, you'll see four items: Whole Foods brand olive oil, WF brand organic un-cured ham and turkey, and WF brand colby cheese. Price for all four items: $27.

Seriously.

Whole Foods is the only major supermarket in the neighborhood. It's close and it has a million awesome things. Unfortunately its market-fresh, organic goods are priced accordingly. Sure, I expect food that hasn't come within a syringe-length of preservatives to cost a little more, but the markup here is extraordinary.

I think that speaks to one of our country's worst problems: It costs much more to eat healthy food than it does to eat junk. Think about $1: How many calories can you buy with that $1? You'll see a wide gap grow between Chips Ahoy cookies and carrots. Is that right? Hardly. Is it reality? Sadly.

Who's to blame? The government, most likely — it subsidizes crops that fuel the junk food-industry (like corn) while neglecting farmers who grow healthier crops. That money has a profound impact not only on Americans' waist lines, but also on developing countries whose crop prices are driven down by American prices, which is an unfair advantage against people, particularly Africans, who are constantly ensnared in the punishing cycle of famine and death.

Anyway, back to Whole Foods — I really didn't intend to launch into a critique of American agribusiness. I'm at an ethical dilemma now: Do I continue to shop there, pay outrageous prices for organic, vegan dental floss, or do I seek out another preservative-shilling market? I'm still undecided on everything except this: So far, I haven't been able to taste the difference between Publix pasta and Whole Foods' organic, handmade pasta.