It Came From The Library: Index Edition

By: Jonathan Milder

The first in an occasional 'from the Library' series wherein statistics caught in our weekly troll of the food media are offered up in highly digestible, if occasionally provocative, bits.

Number of national chain grocery stores in Detroit: 0

Percentage of total antibiotics used in the United States that is fed to healthy chickens, pigs and cattle: 70

Approximate annual weight of these antibiotics: 24 million lbs

Estimated total Americans spend on weight-loss products per year: $35 billion

Percent increase in American obesity rates between 1998 and 2006: 37

Percent by which the medical expenses of an obese American exceeds that of normal-weight Americans: 42

Estimated medical spending on obesity-related conditions in the U.S. in 2008: $147 billion

Percent of all medical spending that figure represents: 10

Estimated increase in the number of Americans suffering from gout in the last 30 years: 100%

Estimated increase in the number of calories the average American consumes per day over the last 20 years: 250

Estimated weight loss if the average American substituted water for sweetened beverages: 15 lbs

Estimated 10-year revenue from a 10% sales tax on fattening foods as defined by a national standard recently adopted by Great Britain: $522 billion

Estimated 10-year cost of healthcare reform: $1 trillion

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