Reply #35: I don't mean to insult anyone but I agree that British food

[spooky3]

is just as good and just as bad as American food, at least it was in London when I was there about a year ago. You have to pay a huge amount of money to get a good meal; fresh fruits and veggies even in the summer were very bad. In contrast, the French insist on better food, and they pay a lot for it. Good food is not cheap unless you have your own land and can grow a vegetable (and fruit) garden most months of the year.

As some posters noted, a major problem here is the subsidy structure. I don't know about subsidies in the UK. The govt. in the US (and some state govts.) choose to subsidize wheat, corn, etc., and not fresh fruits and vegetables, distorting the actual prices. Also, items made from these grains can be shot with preservatives so that they don't spoil rapidly on the grocery shelves. But fresh fruits and veggies spoil quickly, pushing up the costs and thereby the prices. Hormones that are permitted in meat may be illegal in some parts of Europe.