# Groceries seem expensive in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658 "2010-10-10T02:47:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/41 "2010-10-10T18:15:48Z")
It’s got to be worse in Canada than in the US or UK, based on the number of Ontario license plates and even Toronto-based tour buses I see in the parking lots of Buffalo-area supermarkets. Groceries in the Buffalo area aren’t cheap, either, compared to the rest of the country. I found that groceries in Buffalo are about 15% to 20% higher than in Cleveland or Austin. One example: 12-packs of branded pop. In Buffalo, the normal price for a 12-pack is in the $5.50 to $6.50 range, with sale prices rarely below $4. In other parts of the country, the normal price seems to be in the $4 to $4.50 range, with sale prices at $2.50 to $3.50. Maybe the issue in Buffalo is the state of competition. There are only two major supermarket chains in the area; mid-end Tops, and high-end Wegmans. Aldi and a couple of Sav-A-Lots are really the only discount grocers. There’s a few indies like Dash’s and Budwey’s, but none are discounters. In Cleveland, there was Heinen’s, Giant Eagle, Dave’s, Marc’s, and smaller chains that operated in certain parts of the metro area, along with all of the yuppie chains (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Market) and a wide assortment of ethnic (Asian, Italian, Kosher) supermarkets. Buffalo has a rather nice co-op and the usual number of small ethnic food stores, but no organic free-range fair-trade single-source sun-dried chains or ethnic supermarkets. I wonder if there’s greater competition in the UK for supermarkets, or if the EU brought with it economies of scale that dwarf the US. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/42 "2010-10-10T18:23:20Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > It’s got to be worse in Canada than in the US or UK, based on the number of Ontario license plates and even Toronto-based tour buses I see in the parking lots of Buffalo-area supermarkets. The supermarket here is at the border. Lots of BC license plates here. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/43 "2010-10-10T18:38:40Z")
I should also mention that online grocery shopping has caught on a lot faster in the UK than in the US. I read an article about it in the Wall Street Journal a few months ago, but can’t find it online now. With greater usage by consumers, there are economies of scale and incentives for competitors to enter the online market. We haven’t reached that point in most of the U.S. The stores that offer online shopping in some parts of the country tend to be the more expensive stores. To the best of my knowledge, none of the local grocery store chains in my area offer online shopping, neither for delivery nor pickup. It’s possible to have non-perishable items shipped from Amazon or Meijer, sometimes with free shipping, but prices seem to average 50 to 100% more than what I pay. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/44 "2010-10-10T19:41:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@elmwood](#): > > > > It’s got to be worse in Canada than in the US or UK, based on the number of Ontario license plates and even Toronto-based tour buses I see in the parking lots of Buffalo-area supermarkets. > > The supermarket here is at the border. Lots of BC license plates here. It varies because of currency fluctuations but in general groceries are cheaper in the UK than in the Republic of Ireland. I’ve heard tell before that the busiest ASDA in the UK is just on the border with the Republic in Strabane, Co. Tyrone. I don’t know if it is actually the busiest but a huge amount of its custom comes from cross border customers. Newry, in Co. Down, which is the closest big town in Northern Ireland to Dublin does a roaring trade too in groceries and other goods. Again it depends on the €/£ exchange rate as to how busy they get as well as relative VAT and duties etc. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/45 "2010-10-10T20:20:25Z")
When I was living in Ontario, I was astounded by how high the prices were, and for the lack of fresh produce versus what I have in SE Michigan. Here in Mexico, fresh produce is abundant, and dirt cheap compared to Michigan. When I care to venture out of the grocery store and into the local markets, it’s about another 1/3 cheaper still. Meats are a problem, though. I can’t figure out the grading system, and I seem to end up with sub-par meat unless I go to the local high-end grocery, where the meat is totally worth it, and it works out to about the same price as high-end grocery meat in Michigan. Peanut butter, though, is wicked expensive. All I can find are tiny little jars, and they’re about $4.00 each. And Haagen Dazs is about $10 for a quart. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/46 "2010-10-10T20:30:39Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > When I was living in Ontario, I was astounded by how high the prices were, and for the lack of fresh produce versus what I have in SE Michigan. It’s true, and yet strange. Part of it, I imagine, has to do with imports. I live a 15 minute drive from a strawberry farm, and yet even in the summer, the grocery store has fruit driven in from Baja California. I’m no “food miles” zealot, but that just strikes me as poorly thought out. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/47 "2010-10-10T20:53:01Z")
Quoth **Johnny LA** : > [@](#): > > I like American cheese (100% real cheese, pateurised-process; not ‘cheese food’ or ‘cheese product’, which contains as little as 51% cheese) All American cheese is “cheese food”. The process for making American cheese involves melting and resolidifying it, which is what “cheese food” means. On the OP, the only one of those prices I know off the top of my head is that milk is indeed $2.19 for a half-gallon at Albertson’s, but a full gallon isn’t all that much more than that. The only reason I buy halves is that I often can’t go through a full gallon before it spoils. Even at that, though, Albertson’s half-gallon is something of an outlier; I can usually actually get it cheaper at the on-campus convenience store. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/48 "2010-10-10T21:13:49Z")
Our food may be more expensive, but it’s got one ingredient you’ll never find in British bread, meat or fruit: Freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/49 "2010-10-10T21:23:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > All American cheese is “cheese food”. The process for making American cheese involves melting and resolidifying it, which is what “cheese food” means. [Pasteurized process cheese](http://frwebgate2.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/TEXTgate.cgi?WAISdocID=Pl65vR/1/1/0&WAISaction=retrieve), which is what I was referring to, is: > [@](#): > > Sec. 133.169 Pasteurized process cheese. > > (a)(1) Pasteurized process cheese is the food prepared by > comminuting and mixing, with the aid of heat, one or more cheeses of the > same or two or more varieties, except cream cheese, neufchatel cheese, > cottage cheese, lowfat cottage cheese, cottage cheese dry curd, cook > cheese, hard grating cheese, semisoft part-skim cheese, part-skim spiced > cheese, and skim milk cheese for manufacturing with an emulsifying agent > prescribed by paragraph (c) of this section into a homogeneous plastic > mass. Pasteurised process cheese food contains: > [@](#): > > Sec. 133.173 Pasteurized process cheese food. > > (a)(1) A pasteurized process cheese food is the food prepared by > comminuting and mixing, with the aid of heat, one or more of the > optional cheese ingredients prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section, > with one or more of the optional dairy ingredients prescribed in > paragraph (d) of this section, into a homogeneous plastic mass. One or > more of the optional ingredients specified in paragraph (e) of this > section may be used. > > \ > > (d) The optional dairy ingredients referred to in paragraph (a) of > this section are cream, milk, skim milk, buttermilk, cheese whey, any of > the foregoing from which part of the water has been removed, anhydrous > milkfat, dehydrated cream, albumin from cheese whey, and skim milk > cheese for manufacturing. > > \ > > (e) The other optional ingredients referred to in paragraph (a) of > this section are: > (1) An emulsifying agent consisting of one or any mixture of two or > more of the following: Monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, > dipotassium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium metaphosphate (sodium > hexa meta phos phate), sodium acid pyro phos phate, tetra sodium pyro > phos phate, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium citrate, potassium > citrate, calcium citrate, sodium tartrate, and sodium potassium > tartrate, in such quantity that the weight of the solids of such > emulsifying agent is not more than 3 percent of the weight of the > pasteurized process cheese food. > (2) An acidifying agent consisting of one or any mixture of two or > more of the following: A vinegar, lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, > and phosphoric acid in such quantity that the pH of the pasteurized > process cheese food is not below 5.0. > (3) Water. > (4) Salt. > (5) Harmless artificial coloring. > (6) Spices or flavorings other than any which singly or in > combination with other ingredients simulate the flavor of cheese of any > age or variety. > (7) Pasteurized process cheese food in the form of slices or cuts in > consumer-sized packages may contain an optional mold-inhibiting > ingredient consisting of not more than 0.2 percent by weight of sorbic > acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, or any combination of two or > more of these, or consisting of not more than 0.3 percent by weight of > sodium propionate, calcium propionate, or a combination of sodium > propionate and calcium propionate. > (8) Pasteurized process cheese food in the form of slices or cuts in > consumer-sized packages may contain lecithin as an optional anti- > sticking agent in an amount not to exceed 0.03 percent by weight of the > finished product. > (9) Safe and suitable enzyme modified cheese. [Or to put it more succinctly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processed_cheese#Legal_issues): [quote] [ul][li] **Pasteurized process cheese** , which is made from one or more cheeses (excluding certain cheeses such as cream cheese and cottage cheese but including American cheese), and which may contain one or more specified “optional ingredients” (includes both dairy and nondairy items). Moisture and fat content percentage requirements vary according to standards for constituent cheeses, but in most cases fat content must be \>47%.[/li][li] **Pasteurized process cheese food** , which is made from not less than 51% by final weight of one or more “optional cheese ingredients” (similar to the cheeses available for Pasteurized process cheese) mixed with one or more “optional dairy ingredients” (milk, whey, etc.), and which may contain one or more specified “optional ingredients” (nondairy). Moisture must be \<44%, and fat content \>23%.[/li][li] **Pasteurized process cheese spread** , which is made similarly to Pasteurized process cheese food but must be spreadable at 70° F. Moisture must be between 44% and 60%, and fat content \>20%.[/ul][/li][/quote] So pasteurized process cheese is cheese. Pasteurized process cheese food is at least 51% cheese. Both are processed into a homogeneous mass. One is cheese, and the other is just mostly cheese. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/50 "2010-10-10T21:29:08Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > > [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > > > As a Brit in the US, I too find this: especially for basic food items like bread and fresh meats and fruit and veg, America is surprisingly expensive, at least on the East Coast. > > > > Junk food (pop, crisps, chocolate) and eating out are extremely cheap. > > > > One weird thing about shopping for food in America is that you either get the dirt cheap crap from walmart, or the very expensive organic hipster stuff from whole foods or a coop. There’s very little middle ground – decent stuff that tastes OK, like you get at tesco. > > > > For comparison, a nice (not crap plastic, but not organic either) loaf of bread will cost you under $1 at tesco in the UK. If you want noncrap bread in the Chapel Hill, NC area, expect to pay $3. > > > > pdts > > I repeat again you are talking about the east coast. > Fresh fruit and veggies are very cheap here in California. We grow a lot of this stuff. Meat seems cheaper, but I did not buy much meat when I traveled to the east coast, so that might just be my perception. > As far as mid range markets go, we have tons of them. In So Cal there is (in no particular order) the following chains: > Ralphs > Vons > Food for Less > Albertsons > Hows > Fresh and Easy > Vons > plus a couple of others who’s names I don’t recall. > We also have club stores like Sam’s and Costco. Meat, dairy, and some other items are insanely cheap there. Just to complicate things a bit, **Fresh & Easy** is the US branch of **Tesco**. 😛 I have to back up what **Rick** is saying here. This is a big frakking country here. East Coast prices are nothing like the prices in Texas, which are different from those in Atlanta, which vary widely from those in LA. As for sales, just glancing at this week’s Stater Bros sales: Cantaloupe - 1 each. Broccoli - .49/lb. Oroweat bread, all varieties - $2.50/loaf. Red grapes - 3 for 2 lbs. Squash - .99/lb. Pears, apples, avocados, green beans, all $.99/lb. Tri-tip - $2.99/lb. Top sirloin - $2.99/lb. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/51 "2010-10-10T22:53:53Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Seems to me that grocery prices vary a lot across the US. Even for one chain, even for a local chain. Getting an avocado to California is much different than getting an avocado to Ohio. But getting an avocado to Manchester or London is pretty much the same. In the grand scheme of things. Eh? That depends where the avocado is coming from, surely? They grow in South/Central America. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/52 "2010-10-11T00:01:18Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > > > Seems to me that grocery prices vary a lot across the US. Even for one chain, even for a local chain. Getting an avocado to California is much different than getting an avocado to Ohio. But getting an avocado to Manchester or London is pretty much the same. In the grand scheme of things. > > Eh? That depends where the avocado is coming from, surely? They grow in South/Central America. and California. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![may\_be\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@may\_be\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/may_be_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/53 "2010-10-11T00:06:49Z")
They have Aldi in the UK? WE HAVE AN ALDI TOO! I seriously thought it was the only one. Anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/54 "2010-10-11T00:19:03Z")
> [@may\_be\_ignorant](#): > > They have Aldi in the UK? WE HAVE AN ALDI TOO! I seriously thought it was the only one. Anywhere. Is this a joke? Aldi (originally German) have stores all over Europe and the US. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/55 "2010-10-11T00:35:34Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Our food may be more expensive, but it’s got one ingredient you’ll never find in British bread, meat or fruit: Freedom. 😃 This thread is just reminding me how expensive food is here in Sweden. I think it was the talk of bread that hit home the most. At my local supermarket you won’t find a loaf for less than about 25 SEK. That’s 2.35 GBP or 3.76 USD right now. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/56 "2010-10-11T00:37:59Z")
Unless you’re really brand conscious food is cheap. There’s always SOMETHING on sale. I can always find milk for $1.99 or less a gallon. Peanut Butter is always on sale. The name brands seem to rotate. Of course if you only like one brand then you’re stuck. My food bill for the month averages between $50 and $65 a month for a single male. Of course I eat a lot simple food, rice, beans, barley, oatmeal and I usually eat meat only once or twice a week. Not for any particular reason it’s just what I like ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/57 "2010-10-11T01:25:06Z")
I live in Phoenix and I primarily shop at a Tesco-owned grocery chain called Fresh & Easy. Some of their typical prices: Whole milk (1 gal)is $1.99 1 dozen eggs is $1.47 a pint of cream is $2.49 3 baby bok choy $1.99 can of coconut milk 1.19 box of tea bags $1.98 pork chops $1.59/lb 24 oz pkg of wheat bread $2.99 They also regularly have 10% off coupons if you spend a certain dollar amount. Seems about the same as your UK Tescos. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/58 "2010-10-11T02:30:12Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > This isn’t true in my experience. I lived in the U.K. from 1987 to 1990 and often discussed with other Americans living in the U.K. the comparative prices of food (and other things). Food in grocery stores, like other items in most stores, cost 40% more in the U.K. than in the U.S. No offense, but… you lived there _20 years ago_. Things can change. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/59 "2010-10-11T02:56:06Z")
You’re right, zweikamzeit, but I’ve been back seven times since then in visits spread over that twenty-year period. Granted that nearly all my food purchases were at restaurants during those seven visits, the difference in prices (for restaurant food) between the U.S. and the U.K. seemed to be about the same as when I was living there. Also, from what I’ve heard, the difference in wages in the U.S. and the U.K. has decreased over the past twenty years. In comparing wages with British friends in 1990, it seemed to me like the average wages for jobs in the U.S. were about 40% more than the average wages for comparable jobs in the U.K. In recent years though the average British wages have risen to levels nearly the same as those in the U.S. I would have thought that, if anything, the British prices would have risen more than the American prices. For what it’s worth, the exchange rate is relatively slanted toward the pound being cheaper than usual, so that British prices seem lower than usual in comparison to American prices. My experience over the past twenty-three years is that the exchange rate has mostly been between $1.55 to $1.90 per British pound, occasionally getting as low as $1.40 and as high as $2.10. For the last several months it’s been between $1.55 and $1.59. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658/60 "2010-10-11T05:04:57Z")
Food is often subsidized in weird ways. In the US, for instance, there’s almost nothing natural or market-driven about milk prices. There may be any number of market distortions affecting prices in both places. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-seem-expensive-in-the-us/556658.md?page=4)