Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley recently signed a proclamation declaring Feb. 17-23 Food Check-Out Week in Harlan County.

The cost of food in America remains affordable. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, American consumers spend, on average, just over 10 percent of their disposable income for food. That means the average household will have earned enough disposable income – that portion of income available for spending or saving – to pay for its annual food supply in about five weeks, said Kentucky Farm Bureau president Mark Haney.

“America’s food supply is the most affordable as well as the safest in the world,” Haney said. “Domestic foods that are produced by farmers in Kentucky and throughout the United States are responsible, in part, for our nation’s increased standard of living.”

In recognition of this, Harlan County Farm Bureau is celebrating Feb. 17-23 as Food Check-Out Week.

To mark the occasion, Harlan County Farm Bureau Young Farmers were joined by Future Farmers of America students from Harlan County High School to promote Food Check-Out Week at local grocery stores throughout the week.

Long after Food Check-Out Week, Americans are required to continue earning income for other necessities. The Tax Foundation has reported that Americans must work more than 100 days to pay their federal taxes.

“We work much longer to pay for federal taxes than for food,” Haney said.