More than 40 million Americans are on food stamps (govt food support). In reality, many food basics like milk, rice and beans are healthy and affordable.
Plenty of people are low income or otherwise cash poor by reasonable standards, but not low enough to qualify for food stamps.
Affordable, yes, but require more time and skill to cook a meal that hits the same reward centers as the edible junk sold in cheap restaurant chains... often both short in supply among those on food stamps.
Milk is not healthy, rice barely can qualify but I guess it's food. Beans are.