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What are some food items that cost less than what they "should"? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/asklemmy

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Bananas are ridiculously cheap even up here in Canada, and they aren't grown anywhere near here. Yet a banana can grow, be harvested, be shipped, be stocked, and then be purchased by me for less than it'd cost to mail a letter across town. (Well, if I could buy a single banana maybe...or maybe that's not the best comparison, but I think you get my point)

Along the banana's journey, the farmer, the harvester, the shipper, the grocer, the clerk, and the cashier all (presumably) get paid. Yet a single banana is mere cents. If you didn't know any better, you might think a single banana should cost $10!

I'm presuming that this is because of some sort of exploitation somewhere down the line, or possibly loss-leading on the grocery store's side of things.

I'm wondering what other products like bananas are a lot cheaper than they "should" be (e.g., based on how far they have to travel, or how difficult they are to produce, or how much money we're saving "unethically").

I've heard that this applies to coffee and chocolate to varying extents, but I'm not certain.

Anyone know any others?

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[–] Blackmist 32 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Just about all of it.

Most farming gets subsidised. This is a good thing. You want excess in the system. You've seen what the free markets did to housing. You don't want that happening to food.

The slavery-in-all-but-name isn't such a good thing, but hey-ho.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Our housing market is not a free market because government heavily suppresses the supply side.