I get your point and I personally do consider the dietary habits of many Americans outright insane (though it has to be said that many may have not as much "choice" to eat more healthy, since healthy food appears to have become a inaccessible privilege for many).

However, I would (in periods) eat up to 500~700 grams of this stuff myself. Not quite what you could call a small amount by any measure. Still, not a single health issue. I'm over 40.

What I think is the bigger problem here is a sensationalized and alarmist presentation of an individual case, where supposedly a "medical" explanation is given for how licorice was the culprit. In reality there might be many other (and possibly more significant) factors involved.

I think that what pisses me off most here, is that the BCC (hiding under a protective cover of presenting "news", while pursuing more clicks), implicitly (and probably unintentionally) more or less is giving false "medical advice" to readers who just don't know any better (unless they come from a culture where licorice is popular).

> healthy food appears to have become a inaccessible privilege for many

Is that really the case? I live in Eastern Europe. Unhealthy food is inaccessible privilege for many. Instead I eat stews of legumes, which are healthy, and ridiculously cheap. I never understood this "healthy food is more expensive" thing, it most definitely is not the case here. All sorts of legumes, vegetables, and the ingredients to make healthy food are all very cheap, in comparison to pizza, or junk food, etc. which are expensive and I actually cannot financially live on them.

I am also situated in (but not originally from) Eastern Europe. On a personal level I pretty much completely agree with your opinion.

However, that might be in part because I like to take time to prepare food and actually know how to cook. One of the things I love most about Eastern Europe, is that cooking is an art that's not yet (completely) lost on the majority of people (or at least not the female half of it). Be that because of traditional values, a taste/love for quality food (and even knowing what good food tastes like in the first place), or merely a direct consequence of poverty, it still is a quality that should never be underestimated. I firmly believe that many in the West literally no longer know what they are missing.

While growing up, I definitely got the impression that even basic cooking skills became increasing less common knowledge among younger generations in most of Western Europe (I've heard it's even worse for the USA). Arguably it also deteriorated in Eastern Europe, but certainly not to the same extend.

You are right, it isn't just about cost alone. It's also people no longer knowing how to make (healthy) food themselves anymore (or just not from basic ingredient). That said, I myself have been many times in situations (while living in Western Europe) where eating shitty food ended up a lot cheaper than cooking a proper meal. For anyone unable to cook, that will certainly be even worse.

While it might be more of a philosophical question/opinion, one could ask to which extend it's about availability (both referring to ingredients and knowledge) and to which extend it's a question of (bad) choices. It could even be argued that it's the relative luxury (even spoiled behavior) that makes people eat shitty. Marketing, time constraints, and probably a number of other factors might also be to blame (to varying degrees).

Either way, from the statistics I've seen (which should of course always be treated with skepticism), it does at least appear that the poor part of the (Western) demographic eat significantly more unhealthy than the more affluent part. I have often seen the prices of quality food being used as an argument for that trend.

I have to admit, that as someone who can cook a meal out of almost nothing (and at times literally was forced to), I always have mixed feelings about such claims. Still, I did experience myself that living on a budget and cooking from basics was actually a lot easier in Eastern Europe than it was (for me) in Western Europe. It might not have been only about price and availability, but I'm pretty sure that it was a significant factor (for me). A lack of skills sure wasn't a factor in my case. Time constraints neither, since the were the same for me in both situations/locations.

I have no idea about the availability of legumes or the like in such places. I know that there are street markets where you could buy them, at least in Central and South America.

I honestly do not believe making stews of any legumes is a difficult task; it is fairly easy. It is time consuming though, but in such cases I just cook, say, a stew of lentils for 3 days (amount-wise).

It is pretty sad that people in the West "don't know any better". They only have to pick up very basic skills and do some planning. I have been to the UK, but I forgot to check for the availability of ingredients as I did not stay for long, and during my stay I lived on buns, salami, and butter. :D

As I already mentioned, I do agree with your opinion in general, have mixed feelings about the whole subject, and I certainly do agree with the situation being pretty sad.

For what it's worth, I did realize something while thinking about all this. While I regularly make stews or sarma for several days, I somehow find it harder imagining myself doing that while in Holland. It clearly isn't very rational, but I am clueless what makes the difference. I think I can rule out cultural habits or pressure, for I never gave much of a s#!$ about doing what other people do (or even fitting in at all). Still, no idea what it is that does make the difference.

As for street markets, I know they are (still) common in (large parts of) Eastern Europe, Central and South America and indeed most parts of the world. However, in Holland those have pretty much all but disappeared (competed away by the convenience of supermarkets), with the exception of maybe some larger cities. Even there, it's often more specialty/quality/artisan products for sale. I still remember a time when I went to the market because it was cheaper, but I very much doubt that's still the case now (in Holland).

I honestly don't know if the UK is similar (or worse) than Holland. No personal experience with that regarding USA either. But from what I've heard, it's pretty much supermarkets and convenience stores all the way for most of the country (which could explain a thing or two).

One thing I did notice from more recent events here (in Eastern Europe): once supermarkets manage to sabotage/undermine local (street) markets, it often is bad news for quality, choice and pricing. These conglomerates don't give a shit about what they sell, as long as it makes them (more) money. To be more specific, I have seen supermarkets first expand their selection and drop prices to "outperform" local markets (often in unfair ways), only to strip selection and raise prices after local shops went out of business.

I think a similar thing happened in Holland, just in a more subtly and gradual way. But there it started at least some 30~40 years ago. Extrapolate from that, I guess.