Not everyone can afford to eat in a way that’s good for the planet. Here’s why that matters.
Sustainable eating gets praised as the solution to everything from climate change to personal health. Eat organic, buy local, cook from scratch—it’s painted as the obvious choice for anyone who cares about the future. But what happens when that choice doesn’t actually exist?
For millions, food is about survival, not sustainability. They don’t have the luxury of picking the perfect produce at a farmers’ market or spending extra on ethically sourced groceries. Some live in food deserts, others work multiple jobs, and many simply can’t afford to prioritize the environment over getting enough to eat.
Blaming individuals for not eating sustainably ignores a much bigger issue—our entire food system is designed for convenience, profit, and inequality. Before pointing fingers at the people who can’t make “better choices,” it’s time to face the reality of why sustainable eating isn’t an option for everyone. These 14 hard truths explain why.
1. Farmers’ markets and trendy local food aren’t for everyone.
Fresh, locally grown produce sounds ideal, but what if the nearest farmers’ market is an hour away? What if everything costs double what the grocery store charges? For many, the farm-to-table movement isn’t about sustainability—it’s about privilege. According to The Guardian‘s Nabou Ramu, nearly one in five Los Angeles residents faces food insecurity, highlighting the challenges in accessing fresh, healthy food.
Even when local food is available, it’s not always reliable. Small farms depend on unpredictable weather, seasonal crops, and fluctuating demand, meaning what’s available one week might be gone the next.
Many farmers’ markets also run on limited schedules—weekend mornings or early afternoons—times that don’t work for people balancing multiple jobs or unpredictable work shifts. While some can take their time choosing heirloom tomatoes on a Saturday, others are stuck grabbing whatever’s cheap and available at the closest store—if they even have one nearby.
2. Organic food is a luxury, not a universal solution.
The organic label is often treated like a badge of honor—pesticide-free, non-GMO, better for the planet. But there’s one issue: organic food is wildly expensive. The USDA Economic Research Service found that in 2010, retail price premiums for organic foods ranged from 7% above the nonorganic price for spinach to 82% for eggs.
Government subsidies keep mass-produced food cheap, while organic farms face higher costs for labor and certification. That price difference might not matter to someone with disposable income, but for many, it means choosing between organic vegetables or feeding their family for the week. The reality is that affordability wins every time. It’s easy to say “pay more for quality,” but not everyone has that option. The ability to eat organic isn’t just about preference—it’s about financial privilege, and ignoring that fact oversimplifies a much bigger issue.
3. Cheap food is designed to be the only option.
Processed foods are often blamed for rising health issues, but there’s a reason they dominate grocery store shelves: they’re cheap, convenient, and heavily subsidized. Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute reports that the U.S. government allocates substantial subsidies to crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans, which are foundational ingredients in many processed foods, thereby keeping their prices low.
For someone on a strict budget, spending a few dollars on a frozen meal that feeds their family makes more sense than shelling out twenty bucks on fresh ingredients that might not stretch as far. The food system isn’t broken—it works exactly as it was designed to, prioritizing profits over public health. While some people have the privilege of avoiding processed foods, others don’t. Demonizing them without addressing the reasons behind their dominance misses the real problem entirely.
4. Food deserts make “healthy choices” impossible.
Not everyone can just “buy fresh produce” or “shop at a better store.” In food deserts—areas with little to no access to grocery stores—fresh, whole foods aren’t even an option. Instead, convenience stores, dollar stores, and fast food chains fill the gap, offering high-calorie, low-nutrient foods at the lowest price.
For families living in these areas, sustainable eating isn’t about making better choices—it’s about survival. When the nearest full-service grocery store is miles away and public transportation is unreliable, fast food or packaged snacks become the most practical (and sometimes the only) option.
The conversation around food sustainability often ignores the millions of people who don’t have access to fresh produce in the first place. If the system makes it easier to get a burger and fries than a bag of apples, telling people to “eat better” completely misses the point.
5. Cooking from scratch takes time, and time is a privilege.
Sustainable eating is often tied to home-cooked meals—avoiding packaged foods, reducing waste, making everything from scratch. But what if you don’t have the time? For people working multiple jobs, parenting alone, or dealing with unpredictable schedules, cooking daily meals from fresh ingredients isn’t always realistic.
Fast, cheap, and convenient food dominates because it fits into people’s lives. Not everyone has the luxury of spending hours meal-prepping or cooking elaborate plant-based dinners. Some are exhausted after a long shift and just need something quick. Others don’t have access to a full kitchen, let alone time to experiment with new recipes. Cooking from scratch is great if you can do it, but for many, it’s not a lack of willpower—it’s a lack of time, resources, and energy.
6. “Just reduce food waste” assumes you have a fridge, freezer, and stability.
Cutting down on food waste is a major part of sustainable eating, but that assumes you have the storage space to keep food fresh. Many people live in small apartments with tiny fridges, unreliable freezers, or shared kitchens where bulk buying and long-term meal planning aren’t practical.
Then there’s housing instability—if you don’t know where you’ll be living next month, stocking up on fresh produce or freezing leftovers isn’t an option. Bulk buying is only useful if you have somewhere to store it, and leftovers only make sense if you have a way to keep them from spoiling.
Sustainability movements love to promote “waste less” strategies, but not everyone has the luxury of planning meals weeks in advance or investing in storage solutions. Sometimes, the focus isn’t on reducing waste—it’s on making sure there’s enough to eat in the first place.
7. Meal prep sounds smart, but not everyone can plan ahead.
Sustainability advice often pushes meal prepping—buy in bulk, cook everything at once, and store meals for the week. But that assumes you have the time, space, and stability to do it. For many people, life doesn’t work that way.
Not everyone has the budget to buy large quantities of food at once, let alone a kitchen with the storage to keep it fresh. Some people deal with unpredictable schedules, meaning meal prep plans fall apart fast. Others rely on SNAP benefits, which don’t always allow for big purchases. The idea that “a little planning solves everything” ignores how chaotic, expensive, and time-consuming meal prep can actually be. Sometimes, the only option is grabbing what’s affordable and available when you can, even if it’s not the most sustainable choice.
8. “Just grow your own food” is easier said than done.
In theory, growing your own food is a great way to cut grocery costs and eat sustainably. In reality, it’s not that simple. Gardening requires space, time, good soil, and sometimes extra money for seeds, tools, or raised beds—not to mention the knowledge and patience to make it work.
If you live in an apartment or an area without outdoor space, gardening isn’t even an option. Community gardens aren’t available everywhere, and they often come with long waitlists. And while indoor herb gardens are nice, they won’t replace real groceries.
For those struggling just to afford food, telling them to “just grow their own” is completely out of touch. It’s a privilege to have the time and space for gardening, and assuming everyone can do it ignores the reality of how inaccessible it actually is.
9. Sustainable eating forgets about cultural food traditions.
The push for “clean eating” and “sustainable diets” often erases the cultural foods people have eaten for generations. Some sustainability advocates dismiss entire cuisines for being too meat-heavy, too carb-based, or not fitting into the latest trendy food movement. But food is more than just fuel—it’s identity, history, and tradition.
For many immigrant communities, local food trends don’t match their cultural diets. Staples like rice, tortillas, and certain cuts of meat get labeled as “unhealthy” or “unsustainable” by Western food movements, despite being nourishing, affordable, and deeply tied to heritage. Sustainable eating should be about inclusivity, not guilt-tripping people for eating the foods they grew up with. A food system that truly works for everyone should embrace global food traditions instead of trying to replace them with diet trends.
10. The cheapest foods are often the unhealthiest.
When money is tight, calories matter more than sustainability. A fast-food meal that costs $5 and keeps you full for hours will always win over a $10 organic salad that barely fills you up. That’s not bad decision-making—it’s survival.
Highly processed, calorie-dense foods are often the cheapest because the food industry is built to keep them that way. Sugar, corn, and refined grains are mass-produced and subsidized, while fresh produce and high-quality proteins remain expensive. If sustainable eating isn’t affordable, people won’t choose it—not because they don’t care, but because they can’t.
Any push for sustainability that doesn’t address food prices is missing the bigger picture. Until fresh, whole foods become as affordable as processed ones, people will continue eating what they can afford, not what’s deemed “best.”
11. Fast food isn’t just about convenience—it’s about survival.
It’s easy to criticize fast food for being unhealthy and unsustainable, but for many, it’s the only option. When you’re exhausted, working multiple jobs, or don’t have a kitchen, a $4 burger isn’t just a lazy choice—it’s a lifeline.
Drive-thrus are open late when grocery stores aren’t. They don’t require cooking, cleaning, or time that people don’t have. They accept EBT in ways that some grocery stores don’t. For those who rely on fast food, it’s not about loving junk food—it’s about finding something affordable, available, and filling. Telling people to “just cook at home” assumes they have that option. Instead of shaming fast food, the conversation needs to shift toward making real, nourishing food just as accessible and affordable.
12. The sustainability movement ignores disabled people.
Cooking from scratch, buying in bulk, and avoiding convenience foods all require physical labor that not everyone can do. Sustainable eating advice often assumes people have full mobility, unlimited energy, and access to transportation—but that’s not the reality for millions of disabled people.
Shopping at multiple stores for the best deals? Not possible for someone with mobility limitations. Carrying heavy bulk items? A struggle for those with chronic pain. Cooking fresh meals daily? Unrealistic for people with fatigue or disabilities that make standing for long periods difficult.
The push for sustainability often leaves disabled people out of the conversation entirely. If food movements truly want to be inclusive, they need to consider accessibility at every level—from grocery shopping to meal prep—because sustainability should be for everyone, not just those with the ability to follow rigid rules.
13. Vegan and plant-based eating aren’t accessible for everyone.
Plant-based eating is often promoted as the most sustainable diet, but not everyone can easily make the switch. Meat alternatives, plant-based dairy, and specialty vegan products are expensive, and whole-food vegan diets require time, money, and effort that some people don’t have.
For those with food allergies, dietary restrictions, or limited grocery options, plant-based eating isn’t always practical. Some cultures also rely heavily on meat and dairy in their traditional diets, making it unrealistic to cut them out entirely. While reducing meat consumption can be beneficial, forcing plant-based diets onto people without addressing cost, access, and cultural factors ignores the privilege involved. Sustainable eating needs to be flexible, not one-size-fits-all.
14. Sustainability should be about systemic change, not just personal choices.
The sustainability movement focuses a lot on individual actions—buying organic, reducing waste, eating local. But the real issue isn’t individual habits—it’s a broken food system. Food companies, government policies, and industrial agriculture drive unsustainable practices, yet the blame is always placed on everyday consumers.
No matter how many people try to eat “better,” the system still prioritizes cheap, mass-produced, environmentally destructive food because that’s what makes money. Expecting consumers to fix this through grocery choices alone is unrealistic.
Real change has to come from the top—better food policies, corporate accountability, and systemic shifts that make sustainable food accessible to everyone. Until that happens, sustainable eating will remain a privilege, not a right.