It's all about shelf stability and ease of transport. Potato chips are made of vegetables. The refining and processing part doesn't come for free. But it's made up for several times over by the fact that you can store potato chips in a warehouse, or on a shelf for months with no change to the product's flavor. Same goes for soda.

Next time you're at the grocery store and you see a guy stocking produce, ask him how much they lose to spoilage - bruised apples that no one buys eventually get pulled from the shelf, and represent a loss. Now extend that through the supply chain, all the way back to the farm or orchard. It's probably quite a bit. You're not buying one apple. You're buying that apple, and that apple's share of the spoiled apples.

That's not quite fair to go off of calories.

Go to the store and buy a dollar's worth of potatoes, a dollar's worth of carrots, a dollar's worth of soda and a dollar's worth of chips.

They're not equivalent in weight, they're not equivalent in nutritional profile and they're not equivalent in energy.

How many vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients are you getting from each for $1?

Some context around the statistic may be missing but the spirit of the impact in grocery shopper's perspectives and impact on our diets is accurate. Awareness is key! Thanks for the info about shelf stability, Mithrandir.

Agree w/ Sillygirl. Comparing a $-to-calories ratio for different foods is a terrible measure. I can take three bucks to my grocery store and buy a pound of bacon, OR two one pound bags of potato chips OR two pounds of broccoli crowns or a gallon of milk OR a box of pretty nutritious breakfast cereal. There's a wide calorie range there AND a wide nutritional range.

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Probably the most calories per dollar would be a bottle of cooking oil, and the most healthy would a bottle of vitamins. Of course, there is always the McDonalds dollar menu, which I find curiously satisfying.

Probably the most calories per dollar would be a bottle of cooking oil, and the most healthy would be a bottle of vitamins. Of course, there is always McDonalds dollar menu, which I find curiously satisfying.

What is healthy anymore these days and if it is healthy, who can afford it?