Cheap Food

[dr_fritz]

The end of cheap grain.

I've said it before: our economy is a food economy. There is no other kind of economy. My baker friends are all complaining a blue streak about the price of flour--some are seing $5.00/bag increases! And don't even get me started on corn ethanol. Even The Economist thinks it's a really stupid idea to turn food into

Comments

[makaer]

So, if the price of feed (grains, corn etc) goes up, should the price of meat go way up?

Yes, the downside is that if all food gets more expensive it hits the poorer communities. Here is what my off the top of my head solution is - move corn and other farm subsidies that are primarily going to corp farms (I'm pro small farm subsidies, go figure - I can argue this point later if necessary) and give that money to welfare programs that help people with lower incomes get affordable healthy foods.

My statement is, don't lower the price of food, provide people who can't afford food the ability to get it. The most impacted people in this idea would be the people 'on the cusp' whom 10% of income changing to 15% would provide a bad pinch but not an inability to eat.

BUT, the result is the cost of food for everyone goes up. Giving food a more 'real' value should cause people to seriously consider choices like "should I really be eating so much meat, it is insanely expensive". With all this hoopla about corporate farming destroying our environment, maybe we need to make a change at the consumer level making less efficient foods more expensive.

Anyhow, it's actually not a great idea. But it was fun to think out ;)