obesity epidemic

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I think that the obesity epidemic would be reduced by subsidizing fruits & vegetables for all Americans, not just the poor. To pay for such a program we could increase prices on food that has a detrimental effect on health such as meat, sugar, and trans fat. (Yes, the fast food restaurants will scream, although they can hop on the bandwagon and slip healthy ingredients in their food and be rewarded with incentives. The veggie laden burger for example.) The big bang for the initial bucks will be felt in America's health care bill as America gets healthier. People will start to be lead by their wallets toward healthier food choices. * Right now, the poor get subsidized food in the form of food stamps but tend to buy the cheapest food they can to make those stamps last. That cheap food tends to be of lowest quality. If the fruit and veg were either cheaper than the fatty food or free, the poor will find themselves in the fruit-veg isle more often. Sadly, the fruits and vegetables are often the most expensive items in my shopping basket. * Localized green houses don't need to be fancy affairs either. They need to protect plants from the cold. Hydroponics grows a large number of fruits-vegetables in small spaces. LED lighting is also coming into its own as an economically viable light source for growing things.