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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] locavorism more expensive?

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  • From: dan conine <dconine@bertramwireless.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] locavorism more expensive?
  • Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:54:38 -0500

Here's some ammunition to throw into the fight:

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/03/11/shocking-graphic-reveals-why-a-big-mac-costs-less-than-a-salad/

You might have already posted it, Paul. I've only been reading the LOTL digest sporadically lately.
I get a newsletter from the Farmers' Union that lists the farmer share of the food dollar.
(scroll to bottom of this archived one) http://nfu.org/wp-content/110909-e-newsletter.htm

When you consider that one of the points of the localization movement is to circulate money locally, rather than sending it off to be 'processed' by central banks and foreign exchanges, then both sides become important: the farmer charging Wal-Mart prices gets more of the food dollar, even though the food costs the same to the consumer, and when the $3 tomato is produced and sold to Berkeley-ites, it encourages competition for the best taste and better recipes at the high end. A friend of mine gets exhorbitant prices for his organic produce in D.C., but he puts a LOT of effort into his produce to have only the best in the market, and has to travel extra distance to get that price. Personally, I would be glad to get 50 cents to a dollar per tomato if people would pay it and not complain about the 'high price'. Cheap food has never done us any good.

Dan C.
Belgium, WI





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