Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? Bittman argues that eating highly processed food is not the cheapest way to eat. He begins his article by comparing a McDonald's meal for a family of four ranging at 28 dollars to a home cooked meal at only 14 dollars. This comparison is used to give the readers an idea of what an average meal at these fast food places is really like. Which leads to his disagreement of the idea that “junk food is cheaper when measured by calorie”( Bittman, 2011). It does not make sense to use this method because the results always differ and most people don’t make decisions merely based on calories . Mark Bittman goes on to say that “food choices are not black or white”( Bittman, 2011). Organic food is not the only alternative