As the Sardinian shepherds protest this week against the incredibly low price they get for their milk, I want to discuss (or better raise some questions and drive some thinking) of the price of food.
If you are an affectionate reader you might recall that I already discussed this issue in the past , talking about tomatoes.
But that was a different story, one in which consumers could refuse to buy the cheap product in favour of something more expensive that could support a more sustainable economy.
The problem of today on the other hand , provides a more complicated scenario. While I am usually surprised by how low the price of a litre of milk is, I find cheese to be often expensive. And ok, maybe I don’t shop at supermarkets too often, and I would never buy ‘plastic cheese’. And before you come at me with your war axes, I am not a vegan. I love cheese. And I come from a country that (theoretically) values agriculture and good / sustainably grown food instead of massive industrial farms. So while this week’s protests are about pecorino , that delicious Italian sheep cheese (feeling homesick just thinking about it..), the problems go far and far beyond... yes, because shepherds are paid 50 cents a litre for their milk, an ultimate low, but a kg of pecorino May cost you up of 22 euros a kilo (it costs the producers approx short of 2 euros 50 to make!). Where are all these extra money going? Certainly not to the producers of the key ingredient. So you think you are being ethical by spending more , but it is not always the case. What I am trying to say is that while I mentioned before that you should invest more in your food , spending more is not always the key. Confusing , right? To make matters worse, this week we also had concerning news of insects declining at a faster rate than previously thought. And again, our food plays a part. Commercial , industrial foods grown to make high quantities , use a lot of pesticides that might be driving this collapse . So, again, your choice as a consumer matters for the whole environment . But how is one meant to navigate this? Simple
6 Comments
Tiyunna
2/18/2019 10:59:21 pm
Great read! This is pretty informative! I’ll definitely consider these options when shopping
Reply
2/21/2019 01:54:03 am
Love your calls to action! Visiting the farmers market and calling politicians is a great way to make sustainable changes!
Reply
Barbara Alfeo
2/22/2019 01:00:21 am
I am all about politicians who are actively fighting for the environment! And if I am not sure where they stand on an issue, I feel like I am getting brave enough to just ask!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Disclaimer: some posts may contain affiliate links. At no extra costs to you, buying through the link will help me in this blogging journey!
Archives
January 2023
Categories
All
|