The cost of living is on the rise. The recent Consumer Price Index (a measure of inflation
Question:
The cost of living is on the rise. The recent Consumer Price Index (a measure of inflation of a standard
basket of goods) revealed Australians’ grocery baskets are one of the biggest casualties. The latest data
tell us the fruit and veg in our shopping baskets costs, on average, 6.7% more than this time last year.
Some items rose by far more. A cucumber, for example, went from A$2.20 last year to A$3.70 this
year. The cost of lettuce has become a touchstone during the current election campaign.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports fruit and vegetable prices have gone up because
supply chains were affected by the COVID pandemic (for example, border closures and loss of farm
workers), floods, and international conflict (increasing fuel and transport costs). But takeaway foods
only went up by 0.7%. The ABS suggests the cost of takeaway foods did not increase as much because
of government-funded subsidies and voucher programs in New South Wales and Victoria.
The COVID pandemic has focused our attention on public health and government responses. But when
it comes to building resilient food systems that support healthy and affordable diets for all – one of the
most important actions for public health – governments struggle to act.
There is some debate out there as to whether healthy foods cost more than unhealthy options. The
verdict usually comes down to how you measure what constitutes healthy food and who you talk to.
Our assessments consistently tell us one thing: healthy diets are not affordable for everyone. For people
who receive low incomes, healthy diets make up about a quarter of their disposable income (the money
that comes into their household after taxes).
One in four Australians say groceries are a big financial stress. We’ve monitored diet prices for many
years and the implications of recent fresh food increases will continue to be heartbreaking for everyday
people.
During our research, one single mother living in regional Victoria told us:
People look at cost first and foremost [...] Bag of chips, $1.75, carrots, hummus and celery,
$6 or $7. I know what I’m going to pick if I’m in a pinch, and it definitely ain’t the healthy
choice.
Another mother of two put the purchase of fresh fruit into context, saying:
My little girl likes raspberries and blueberries. And I like her to have them, they’re brain food.
But they range from $4 to $7 for a punnet. And that’s a huge portion of your weekly income.
All the nutrition knowledge in the world won’t help guide healthy choices if people can’t afford healthy
food.
Supermarket specials can make unhealthy, ultra-processed foods and drinks look like good value for
money. We’ve previously shown unhealthy options are on special twice as much as healthy
alternatives. This pattern of discounting can be particularly persuasive for people on low incomes.
Finally, making food takes time. Buying takeaway foods may save time – even though regular
consumption can cost us our health.
Our food system does not prioritise the health of people or the planet. While lines for food banks are
growing, discussions about removing the GST-exemption on fresh fruit and vegetables have been
brewing. As we face global food crises, our governments could be planning ways to keep healthy diets
affordable for everyone – for example, by increasing subsidies to keep the prices of healthy foods
down.
In the Northern Territory, the Aboriginal-led Bagala Community Store has shown governments what’s
possible by setting healthier supermarket pricing standards. When more specials were put on fruit and
veg, consumption climbed by 100%. In New Zealand, the government provides healthy lunches to kids
at school to reduce food costs for families.
Price is only half of the food affordability issue. As the cost of living rises, our incomes are spread
thinner. Even though there has been talk about lifting the minimum wage, we remain far from
addressing the root causes of health inequalities as we head into this election.
Healthy diets will only be affordable for all Australians if government income supports are lifted above
the poverty line. Our government income support rates (provided through JobSeeker) are the second
lowest of high-income countries.
Question
3) With the help of a diagram, explain:
a. Who are the winners and losers from a subsidy on takeaway foods? Remember to
include deadweight loss in your discussion (‘society’ loses from deadweight loss).
Assume that the consumption of takeaway foods has no externality. [4 marks]
b. Consider the same scenario as (a); however, imagine that the consumption of takeaway
food leads to a negative externality (a burden on the health system). You can use the
same diagram as (a), or draw a new one. Does your analysis from (a) change with the
introduction of the negative externality?
Requirement of question 3
The government is providing subsidies to take-away food.
The government-funded subsidies is for the producer
Part (a) requires that you analyse the welfare effects of this subsidy.
Part (b) requires that you analyse the welfare effect of this subsidy when take-away food has a negative externality.
In both cases, the initial market equilibrium is identical, and the change in price and quantity as a result of the subsidy is identical. However the welfare implications are quite different. Remember, social costs and benefits are used for welfare calculations. Private costs and benefits are used to determine equilibrium.
University Physics with Modern Physics
ISBN: 978-0321501219
12th Edition
Authors: Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman, Lewis Ford