Food cost cheapest in the U.S.

Thirty-six days. That's how long the average American has to work in order to afford a year's supply of food, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.

That 36th day of the year falls on Wednesday, Feb. 6, and according to the USDA, earning up to then accounts for just 9.9 percent of the average American's personal disposable income.

"That's a drop in the bucket when you consider the rising cost of everything else the average family faces today," said Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke.

Americans will have to work 77 days to pay their federal taxes, 62 days to pay for housing and household operation, and 52 days for health/medical care, Dierschke said.

By comparison, shoppers in Japan pay 14 percent of their incomes for food; in Israel, 20 percent; and in China, 26 percent.