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> Food is simply "too cheap" This is so true in most civilized world. But same is its opposite, paradoxically. Dunno how the whole system of gov subsidies and
by nnq 9y ago
> Food is simply "too cheap"
This is so true in most civilized world. But same is its opposite, paradoxically.
Dunno how the whole system of gov subsidies and externalized costs and all work around the world, but meat is severely underpriced and vegetables are severely over-fucking-priced. Like geez, anywhere around western Europe if you go around buying ingredients for a decent salad you're like "wtf, a beef steak would lead to a cheaper meal!"
And after this, occasionally see that the cheapest vegetables of one type or another are produced like a freaking continent away! Don't tell me that transport energy that is mostly from burning fossil fuels doesn't have insane environmental costs that somehow got magically externalized out of the product price.
Maybe this also has something to do with underpriced oil or dubious trade treaties making half-a-planet-away exports too cheap, or "indirectly subsidizing" transoceanic shipping costs (hint: China, hint 2: all that burnt shipping diesel is similar to the pollution of the world's cars).
To top it all, in most developed countries increasing food prices would 99% likely result in increasing minimum wages because people will fight for them, and politicians will eventually give them... Really, if there's any way in which global economy needs to be "fixed" is by making products prices include the real damn costs, including environment ones!
- saalweachter 9y agoThree words, my friend: "calories per acre". Vegetables are not good calories sources; they are good nutrient sources. Grains are good calorie sources: your rice, your potatoes [not a grain], and especially your corn. Grains will yield 10-20 times the calorie per acre of vegetables. Grains are so insanely productive that, on a calories per acre basis, it is more land efficient to get your calories from corn-fed livestock than from vegetables. Calories per acre are a big reason why vegetables cost more than meat. It is also why we grow different foods in different places. It is why basically all of our [the United States] potatoes come from Idaho: the volcanic soils there grow potatoes so well that it makes more sense to grow highly efficient potatoes in Idaho and corn in Kansas and ship them back and forth, because you'd get half as much corn in Idaho and half as many potatoes in Kansas.
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- saalweachter 9y ago[Replying in a different comment, because this is more confrontational and less informative, but I still think it is important to say.] Re: food prices -> minimum wage, is your plan seriously to (somehow) raise food prices, so that the people who cannot afford to eat will riot / strike / protest for higher wages, so they don't starve to death?
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- Dylan16807 9y ago> Don't tell me that transport energy that is mostly from burning fossil fuels doesn't have insane environmental costs Why don't tell you that? Have you ever looked at the energy needed to transport full cargo containers? It's not a lot. You could fully internalize the cost by using renewable fuels and it would still be cheap. > all that burnt shipping diesel is similar to the pollution of the world's cars That's looking at a couple very specific pollutants, and could be fixed with a relatively tiny cost if there was enough political will.