Price of food
I've been thinking about how food prices have been rising. At our co-op I've noticed the price of the bulk grains increasing. Also, the source of origin of our organic oatmeal now also includes Sweden? The reasons I've heard about why food prices are going up include things like 25% of U.S. corn being used for ethanol, rising fertilizer costs (tied to rising energy costs), increased shipping costs (energy costs again), and severe weather patterns to name a few. Things are so bad in Haiti that people are eating mud cakes, that's right dried up disks of mud. They say it keeps the hunger pains down. People are facing starvation there in the next 6-12 months because they can no longer afford the food.
I found a recent chart that compares the percentage of income people in different countries spend on food and food-related items for 2006. The U.S. was the lowest at 5.8%. Some other countries spend upwards of 20, 30, 40, even 50%! In Mexico its 25%, Italy 15%.
Let's think about these numbers for a minute. Let's say I make $40,000 dollars a year. This would work out to be about $200 a month. That seems a little low. But if I lived in Italy that would be $500 a month. So now increase you monthly food bill by 2.5 times and that's what it's like living in Italy (minus the good food to start.)
The amount Americans spend on their food has been steadily decreasing in recent history. That may now be changing. What needs to accompany that change is our attitudes towards how much we spend on food. I think we've all become used to the idea of spending as little as possible on our food. The other day I was in Freddies and someone accidently tried to purchase an organic head of lettuce, until they noticed the price, $1.79 versus the usual $0.99. "No way, I'm not paying that much," she offered. Granted this was an industrial organic head of lettuce, but again, if we were in Italy that lettuce would have been $2.50 if it was conventional. The price of cheap food however is something that we pay for in the health of our soil, local economies, clean air, and clean water. Local sustainably produced organic food has the ability to change all of those negatives into positives.
It may cost more, but if you look at the price of food on a global scale, it is still a bargain. That's a bargain I'm willing to pay for. After all, what is the real price of cheap food.
Comments
5.8% is shockingly low!
5.8% is shockingly low! especially when you think about how much people spend on entertainment and other non-essential items.
there are also so many subsidies in America that keep food very cheap. that's also part of the reason why there is such a big difference in the price of organic vs conventional here wheras in Europe they don't have the same subsidies and organic is not much more expensive. back when the WTO was in Seattle (2000) there were some great teach-in's about the global food economy.
I was recently talking with my sister about this and the fact that people are starting to buy less organic food since food costs are rising. But organic doesn't have to be that much more expensive. If you buy local, seasonal produce (no peppers from S.America in the winter) and little to no processed foods, then it really isn't THAT expensive. If we are broke, we still shop at the coop, but we just are more selective about what we get. We do spend a good amount of $ on our food, but I also feel like it is the easiest way to make a stand for what we belive in. it protects the environment, supports the local economy, tasts better and is part of our "health insurance."
You're right, Laurel
These government subsidies are ridiculous. They're totally ruining our economy & food systems.
I completely agree with you about our food being health insurance too. It's an investment we're making.
We find that if we just stay
We find that if we just stay away from packaged foods, we save a ton! Shopping almost exclusively in the bulk aisle and the produce section isn't always the easiest and quickest way to cook, but like you said, it is part of our "health insurance" and the way we can keep eating organically. Plus, we end up being much more creative in the kitchen. We had to recently cut our food budget in half. We managed to do it. It hasn't been fun (no chips, etc.) But I'm sure we are better off for it.
I also think it has to do
I also think it has to do with the means of production in this country and how prices are set. Things are grown on such a major scale and then are picked by underpaid workers, keeps it all cheap. Maybe it's that the food is the same price everywhere it's just that Americans make more money per year. Whatever the reason, it makes a case that we could probably afford to pay some more for our food. And if we decided to do that, we should spend it wisely on local, wholesome food that supports local farmers.
Awwww, what a cute little
Awwww, what a cute little potato. I had no idea what most Americans pay is sooooo little compared to other countries. Maybe those other places are also paying for more controls on their food, such as conditions animals live in, are slaughtered under, and what these animals eat and/or ingest. Having meat without E.coli in it is worth a little extra money, don't you think?
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