Let’s first calculate the perceived cost of food which is :
Cost of seeds
+ cost of fertilizer
+ cost of labor
+ cost of packing
+ cost of storage
+ cost of transport
+ operating profit
Now let’s see what is the REAL cost of food…
Food production has multiple impacts both on and off the farm. These can often be negative, such as :
– Deforestation
– Environmental pollution by GHG
– Soil degradation
– Water pollution
– Biodiversity loss
– Farm worker’s Healthcare costs
– Ecological footprint of imported food
– Food waste
– Food related Healthcare costs – obesity, cardiovascular diseases, allergies, some cancers, and diseases of the immune system
Although these costs are not reflected in the price of food, consumers are paying in other hidden ways as :
– Health Insurance
– Water bill
– Electricity bill
– Income tax
“The global food system generates “hidden” environmental, health and poverty costs – estimated at almost $12 trillion a year. This number is larger than its market value of $10 trillion”
Global statistics :
– 815M people, most of them farming families, suffer from hunger
– 2B people are deficient in critical micronutrients
– 2B adults are overweight, of whom 600M are obese
– 1/3 of food produced is lost or wasted between farm and plate, with the total loss valued around USD $1.2T
– 25% of global land is highly degraded and 80% of terrestrial biodiversity lost
There is an urgent need to understand the REAL cost of food from farm-2-fork and it starts with us understanding and reflecting on the points above and making small changes daily.
We as consumers can do our part right when we :
– Choose local, seasonal, original (organic)
– Don’t eat with your eyes
– Avoid food going waste at all times
– Know the farmer and buy directly
and lastly,
– Pay the right price to the farmer so we don’t have to pay the doctor and insurance companies later.
We also don’t want the coming generations to pay ‘Climate Change’ tax and blame us, do we?
