Eating healthily costs about $1.50 more per person daily, according to the most thorough review yet of the affordability of a healthy diet.

“For many low-income families, an【C1】_____$1.50 daily is quite a lot,” says Mayuree Rao, “It【C2】__to about $550 more per year per person, and that could be a real【C3】_____to healthy eating.

Rao and her colleagues reached their【C4】_____after analysing 27 studies from 10 high-income countries, comparing price【C5】__for healthy versus unhealthy ingredients and diets.【C6】__, one study compared the cost of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables versus one that was【C7】__in them. Another compared prices of【C8】_____healthy and less healthy items, such as wholegrain versus white bread.

Individual items were【C9】_____matched in price. Meats【C10】_____the largest difference: healthier options cost an average of 29 cents per serving more than unhealthy options.

【C11】________this, comparisons of whole diets showed that healthier diets cost averagely $1.48 more per day.

This shows that comparisons based on single ingredients don’t tell the full【C12】_____. “It tells us that,【C13】__, it doesn’t cost more to eat healthier based on one nutrient,” says Rao. “But there’s growing evidence that the【C14】__of foods in your diet【C15】__your disease risk more than any single nutrient, so we think our【C16】__finding that healthier diets cost about $1.50 more has the most public health【C17】_____ .”

As to why healthier food has become more【C18】_____, Rao says that it may be because the food industry organizes itself and the types of food it produces to【C19】__its own economies of scale,【C20】_____ than what’s best for consumers.

【C7】