Food Culture and the Meaning of Eating

The Real Cost of Cheap Food

“This year American consumers will spend 10% of their household income on food - a lower percentage than any country in the world. As Americans we are told that cheap and abundant food is the backbone of a thriving economy. The fact is that cheap food often comes at a cost that is often not reflected in the supermarket price tag. Farming communities struggle. The environment suffers. And our overall public health gets compromised when prices take precedent over quality and safety.”
-Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

vegetables. Furthermore, over half of all the food in the US has been genetically modified even though scientists have not yet determined the effects of these modifications on human health. Industrial meat producers raise livestock in cramped areas in order to maximize output. Such conditions are breeding grounds for disease, which cause farmers to pump up the animals with antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture leads to the emergence of resistant bacteria, which poses a serious threat to human health.

Environment
The current means of agricultural production relies heavily on pesticides and fertilizers to grow a single

The Real Cost of Cheap Food
[BACK]
“This year American consumers will spend 10% of their household income on food - a lower percentage than any country in the world. As Americans we are told that cheap and abundant food is the backbone of a thriving economy. The fact is that cheap food often comes at a cost that is often not reflected in the supermarket price tag. Farming communities struggle. The environment suffers. And our overall public health gets compromised when prices take precedent over quality and safety.” -Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy
Local v. Imported Our current food system relies on importing food from around the country and the world. In fact, the average bite of food travels 1,500 miles before we eat it. Such an enormous transportation network emits tons of pollutants everyday, limits the ability of local farmers to compete with imported food distribution, and provides us with fruits and vegetables usually picked well before they are ripe. Buying food from local farms can greatly reduce these problems. Where does your food come from? Small v. Industrial Farms Over the past 40-50 years the US agriculture industry has moved away from small private and family owned farms, and shifted to factory farms owned by a handful of corporations. The farmer and farming communities suffer as a result of corporate takeover. The loss of farming heritage, loss of scenic beauty that farms provide, and the loss of farming as a viable occupation are all the result of a system that places efficiency and profit as its primary goals. Health The overuse of chemical pesticides not only destroys unwanted pests, but also impacts farmers through the application of chemicals and consumers through residues on the fruits and
vegetables. Furthermore, over half of all the food in the US has been genetically modified even though scientists have not yet determined the effects of these modifications on human health. Industrial meat producers raise livestock in cramped areas in order to maximize output. Such conditions are breeding grounds for disease, which cause farmers to pump up the animals with antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture leads to the emergence of resistant bacteria, which poses a serious threat to human health. Environment The current means of agricultural production relies heavily on pesticides and fertilizers to grow a single
crop. This farming method, known as monocroping, leaches valuable nutrients from the soil, further increasing our dependence on chemical fertilizers to replace the nutrients that the fertilizers destroy. Many of these chemicals make their way into streams, rivers, and groundwater, which pollutes the same water we drink. Large-scale cattle farms have similar drawbacks; for example, think about where all the manure ends up. These instances are just some of the examples illustrating that what we do to one element of the environment affects the entire ecosystem, which includes us. Ethics Our lifestyles’ depend on many factors: the work of other people, the environment, our needs, and desires. Too often we ignore the interdependence of these factors relative to our own lives; yet, such ties make possible
our very existence. The myth that economic efficiency will solve our problems comes at great, non-financial costs to us, and the larger society. Are the financial profits of the few worth the burdens imposed on the many?
[BACK]