why vegetables seem expensive

All the talk of subsidies on the UC Berkeley panel last evening reminded me of Marion Nestle's response to why people balk at food prices:

"Or perhaps produce seems expensive in comparison to meat. If this is the case, it is not because produce is artificially expensive; it is because meat is artificially cheap. The government subsidizes its cost by supporting farmers who produce feed for animals."

And, as reported last evening, the reimbursable school lunch is chicken nuggets, tater tots, chocolate milk, and canned fruit cocktail. There are no subsidies for serving our children fresh vegetables.