Rising costs are changing the way we eat in the United States. In the past four years, food prices have risen a shocking 25%, meaning that the same grocery basket of goods you purchased a few years ago is now significantly more expensive. And it’s not just groceries—we’re also seeing surging restaurant prices. For many people, that means cutting back at the grocery store, perhaps cooking simpler dishes and deciding to eat out less.
But these days, it may not be enough to curb your sit-down restaurant budget. Fast food, which has long been considered an affordable option for many consumers, is also getting more expensive. So expensive, in fact, that according to a recent Lending Tree survey of 2,025 Americans, 78% now consider fast food a luxury and are choosing to eat it less often. For many, buying a burger and fries these days can feel like a strain on the budget.
It’s not good news that so many Americans are now struggling to purchase food that used to be deemed an affordable option. For some households, this new reality can create new, compounding difficulties. A busy parent who used to be able to grab a quick meal at a fast food joint may now have to carve even more time out of their schedule to cook a (cheaper) meal from scratch, cutting down on the time they have to work or rest, which can then affect their quality of live and income in turn.
At the same time, though, most of us probably should be eating less fast food. Most fast food is unequivocally unhealthy, and excess consumption of it can lead to chronic health consequences. And it’s not just about health—fast food companies create notoriously exploitative working conditions for their employees, who often have to rely on government assistance because their greedy companies don’t pay them a living wage. That’s not even to mention the exploitation of animals and farmworkers that have traditionally allowed these companies to sell food at such low prices, or the environmental degradation that occurs as a result.