When one walks into a grocery store, the least expensive foods are in the middle aisles, come in boxes, and are highly processed. The meats and vegetables are in the outer aisles and more expensive. Grocery stores are designed to get you to shop the middle and ultimately purchase the least healthy foods.
If we trace the reasons for low cost processed foods, we come back to the large government subsidies agribusiness receives. Food policy makes a difference. We are subsidizing diabetes and obesity in the process. Who wins? Corporate profits in both big Agra and big Pharma.