Expectations vs. Reality of Food Prices
As Americans we expect everything to be cheap. Including our food. But very few people understand how it actually works.
Over the last few weeks I’ve heard from so many people complaining about the rising cost of eggs, which is being driven by a fresh outbreak of avian bird flu. Avian bird flu largely impacts factory farmed chickens where it’s common for hundreds of thousands of egg laying hens to occupy the same living quarters. Very often with little to no room to move. These birds live, eat, breathe, sleep, and defecate all in one place.
Hundreds of thousands of birds living on top of each other. So when there is a flu outbreak, it’s typical for a whole flock, a whole warehouse of birds that is, to be culled at once. It doesn’t matter how many birds are actually infected or not. It only takes one positive test from one bird for all of the birds to meet their maker. It’s just assumed that given the close proximity of the birds that if one is infected they all are or will be soon. And in that case it’s much “easier” to just kill them all.
Every time there’s an outbreak of avian flu millions of egg laying hens are culled. The supply of eggs goes down. Consumer demand remains the same. So prices go up. Simple economics. One interesting but little discussed aspect of this system that I’ll leave for a different post, is that the farmers who cull large numbers of birds, are forced to do so by the federal government, who then reimburses them for the loss. Funded by tax payer money. Perhaps we could save some money and birds by raising them correctly. But I digress.
But part of the question is, how much should eggs really cost anyway? That is, if egg laying hens were raised in humane conditions and allowed to roam on open pasture feeding on grass and bugs, pecking and scratching, things they enjoy, instead of being crammed wing to wing in a factory and fed conventionally grown grains that are full of pesticides. What would a dozen eggs cost?
I’m not sure what the math on eggs is, but looking online it appears that organic pasture raised eggs are 3 - 4x more than factory farmed eggs. Which is about the same as chicken meat. Chicken purchased in the grocery store can be $2 - $3 per lb, while chicken I buy from my local farm is upwards of $10 per lb. It’s a significant difference. But the way I look at it is the price I’m paying today is an investment in my health and my community. But what would the down stream savings be if all the animals we ate were raised correctly.
How much would our health improve from eating quality nutrient filled meat that’s devoid of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, and instead is raised in sunshine, fresh air, and free to express their natural instincts, on a diet of grass and bugs? How much would we save in healthcare costs as a nation? How much more would a healthier workforce generate? Innovate?
If factory farms ceased to exist, and the number of family farms increased, how many jobs would return to rural America? What would the return of fulfilling work and community do to the health and economy of these neighborhoods? What would be the impact of giving the majority of the profits to local farms, farmers, and workers, instead of corporate owned factory farms?
What would be the impact on our environment by eliminating factory farms and instead allowing animals to roam freely out on pasture, rehabbing the land as they graze? Re-wilding the soil. How would this positive environmental impact help to reduce the ferocity and frequency of natural disasters? What would be the reduction in costs to rebuild? How many billions would be saved that could be used proactively instead reactively?
What would be the impact on the water if there was no pesticide runoff, no dirt erosion, no manure piles seeping into the ground?
We’ve been led to believe that food should cost an artificially low amount. But it’s never explained that we end up paying for it in the end. It’s never explained what the cost of cheap food is to our health, our communities, and our environment. Wasted water, polluted water, land degradation, deforestation, a collapsing middle class, degradation of our health, are all topics that are given little air time.
The next time you find yourself questioning the cost of food, ask yourself why it costs that much or that little, and ask yourself what it should cost and why. Ask yourself if you know where that food came from. How it was grown or raised. And if it’s an option for you, find a local farmer who can tell you, and buy your food from them.
We don’t pay enough for food. Instead we’re paying for it with deteriorating health and destruction of our environment. It’s no coincidence that both are failing at once.