title: Following federal guidelines to increase nutrient consumption may lead to higher food costs for consumers.
abstract: The federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, emphasized the need for Americans to consume more potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D, and calcium, and to get fewer calories from saturated fat and added sugar. We examined the economic impact of meeting these guidelines for adults in King County, Washington. We found that increasing consumption of potassium--the most expensive of the four recommended nutrients--would add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs. Meanwhile, each time consumers obtained 1 percent more of their daily calories from saturated fat and added sugar, their food costs significantly declined. These findings suggest that improving the American diet will require additional guidance for consumers, especially those with little budget flexibility, and new policies to increase the availability and reduce the cost of healthful foods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Center for Public Health Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. pm@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monsivais
authors.forename: Anju
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drewnowski
mesh_terms: D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D035082:Federal Government; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics*; D033161:Government Regulation; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007881:Legislation, Food; D008297:Male; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D014861:Washington