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Eating Healthy Cheaper Than Buying Junk Food
A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs has found that healthy
food is, for the most part, cheaper than junk food. Unlike previous studies,
this new research measured the cost per
edible weight as opposed to the cost per
calorie of 78 common food and drink
products. As reported in a story in the
Telegraph, the cheapest processed
foods cost “more than £2 (USD$2.50)
per kilogram, whereas typical fruit and
vegetables cost less than that amount.” This
finding counters the thought that cost is driving
poor nutrition and obesity. “The idea that poor
nutrition is caused by the high cost of healthy food
is simply wrong. People are prepared to pay a premium for taste and convenience,” says Chris
Snowdon, the report’s author. “Given the relatively high cost of junk food, it is unlikely that taxing
unhealthy food or subsidizing healthy food would change people’s eating habits.”
- metro.co.uk
Urban Ag Tax Credit Passes
Montgomery Council
A bill designed to let an urban farmer in
Silver Spring resist development pressure was recently passed
by the Montgomery County Council. The measure provides an
urban agricultural tax credit, which will help 96-year-old Charlie
Koiner and his daughter Lynn to keep their one-acre farm within
sight of Silver Spring highrises. The tax credit would be equal to
80 per cent of the property tax due on the property. Although
inspired by Koiner’s farm, the measure will encourage others with
small plots to take up farming in urban areas, says council member
Tom Hucker, who represents Silver Spring. “The bill advances urban
agriculture generally,” Hucker said after the bill passed on an 8-0 vote.
County agriculture Director Jeremy Criss told the council that his office
would report back in 2020 to report any challenges.
- mymcmedia.org
Teen Converts Water Pollutant into Plant Fertilizer
Stefan Wan, 17, developed a method to soak up and reuse fertilizer runoff before it can cause harm to rivers and streams. The
Florida teen started with biochar, a type of charcoal farmers add to soil to help it retain water and nutrients. What biochar doesn’t
do, however, is absorb phosphate or nitrate. So, the young scientist added a layered double hydroxide (LDH),
which is a chemical containing pairs of positively charged atoms that attract negatively charged chemicals such
as phosphate. The final mix of 60 per cent biochar and 40 per cent LDH, which contained magnesium and
aluminum, became 95 per cent saturated with phosphate in an hour. Wan also
discovered that the loaded mixture could release some of the phosphate, which
could be reused as fertilizer. The lettuce seedlings he grew with the mix
were 20 milligrams heavier than those grown in sand. Wan says the next
step will be to see if the biochar mix works as well on farms.
- sciencenewsforstudents.org
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