So much of what you described happens because people intentionally make those bad decisions. That being said, you can still feed yourself well in the above scenario. What the parent described is nutritious and not expensive, and people get food stamps to cover food if they cannot pay for it. The actual problem is that people refuse discipline and don’t want to give up their vices and bad decisions. People hide behind blaming large ephemeral “complexes” and industries because they want to hide from their own irresponsibility and because some just want to have more control over other people including over other people who don’t choose bad decisions.