Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: Fast Food

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jill Taylor Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Fast Food
  • Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001 22:53:18 -0500


Victoria,
It is a problem to have food become unavailable to the poor, I agree.
Making it available is a priority in my mind too. One problem that is
deeper than low prices, and goes along with the advice that Jay gave of
paying more for food - is that we are seeking the lowest price for
everything we buy, not thinking about those that produce it. A recent
newsbreaking example of this is chocolate and child slave-labor used to
produce it. This is, again, a result of paying the lowest price for
something - not valuing it. Chocolate companies had middlemen to purchase
their cocoa. Because the price paid for cocoa beans was so low, some cocoa
farmers resorted to child-slave labor (42% of chocolate is produced with
such labor, it is estimated).

I think Fair Trade products are one answer, which results in higher
prices paid for products, as Jay recommends, and also results in higher
prices paid for workers. Therefore, instead of the money going to the top,
and increasing the disparity between the rich and the poor, it is more
evenly distributed.
Less poor people. More people with a living wage, able to afford food.

Coffee is another example. I am sure people on the list know of others.

For more information, check out
http://www.fairtradefederation.com/

and
http://www.antislavery.org/selection.htm

Jill

From: Victoria Mundy Bhavsar

> I agree. The one problem I see with that is that when the price of food
> rises, it is the poorest people who are hurt first, and they really are
> *hurt* not just inconvenienced. The solution to that problem, *I* think,
is
> that the rest of us who can afford food at higher prices should be
> responsible for making sure everyone gets it...even if we have to give up
> other things to do it. This is just a deep heart reaction, I have no idea
> where the lines should actually be drawn.






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page