What America Spends On Groceries

Not surprisingly, we talk a lot about food prices at FOOD JUSTICE HOUSE.  Over the past year we've found that good food is accessible, but not necessarily affordable.  One of our biggest ongoing debates is about milk: we want to hold our dairy producers to a high standard, but we also know that good producers charge a lot of money.  If we want to buy good milk, we have to drink less of it; otherwise we're going to go broke.  I reconcile this in my mind by thinking of milk as a luxury: good milk requires a lot of resources to produce, and should cost more as a result.  On our budget, we can't afford to drink a lot of a luxury; we have to cut back.  That's okay: we should be drinking less milk.  Three cups of milk a day isn't sustainable or, for that matter, especially healthy.  The price reflects the environmental cost, and encourages us to consume consciously and sustainably.

As amazing as FOOD JUSTICE HOUSE is, NPR's recent article about the changing cost of food reveals that the average American does pretty much the opposite.  NPR compared food costs and consumption in 1982 and 2012, and their findings are worrisome.  Foods like meat, dairy, and tropical fruit -- products that require massive amounts of land, labor, and transportation -- have decreased in price, while foods that can be produced locally and domestically -- peppers and bread -- have gone up.  Also upsetting is the 10% increase in the consumption of processed foods and sweets.  As exciting and hopeful as the organic movement is, its clear that it doesn't reflect the overall trend in American consumer habits.  As a country, we're buying more of the most environmentally harmful products for less money.   

To me, FOOD JUSTICE isn't about more variety at more affordable rates.  It's about making ethical  and healthy decisions within one's means.  Sometimes what's ethical needs to cost more, and we need to consume less of it as a result.  NPR's article reveals that we're doing just the opposite.  If America is going to change its food consumption habits, the market needs to change, and prices need to reflect costs.  We can help by purchasing ethical products with prices that reflect the resources that went into their production, and limiting our consumption when those prices become too high.  FOOD JUSTICE isn't just about access; it's about consumer responsibility.

FOOD JUSTICE HOUSE endorses Straus Family Creamery, Organic Valley, and Organic Pastures.  Depending on availability, you can get all of them at Figueroa Produce, or your local organic market.  If you know any other California dairies with legitimately ethical and organic practices, let us know.