Ask Lemmy @lemmy.world otp @sh.itjust.works 5 mo. ago

What are some food items that cost less than what they "should"?

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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129 comments

Surprised nobody said meat yet. Current prices are only possible through gigantic subsidies and the blatant disregard for even the most basic of animal wellbeing and that's not even starting to factor in the environmental and climate damage meat production ensues.
I would argue that of the three items you listed (bananas, coffee, chocolate) that the main reason those items are “cheap” is exploitation of the workers and economies of the global south.

https://daily.jstor.org/fruit-geopeelitics-americas-banana-republics/

This is just one popular science article on the topic, and it just brushes the surface of how colonial politics have stripped the global south of resources while simultaneously building capital in the global north.

This single pane comic is the jist of it.
Snack cakes. Do you want to know why America has an obesity epidemic?
Because a whole box of Swiss cake rolls is $2.50 at Walmart and a deli salad is $5.00.
The United States subsidizes the hell out of dairy products. Dairy (and by extension, beef) is way, way cheaper than it should be.
Rice. A 20lb bag can provide 70% of your food volume for a month and costs like $10. Easily the best poverty food hack there is.
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.
Bananas happen to be very productive plants. One banana plant produces hundreds of bananas. The further lowering of the cost comes from economy of scale and fucking over workers and nature.
beef, corn, and almonds

beef takes up an incredible amount of land and water per 'unit' nutrition and has a profound impact on the local and global environment. it has an artificially low cost due to subsidies and cheap grain (corn) feed.

feed corn isnt really consumable by humans and takes a large percentage of land. its price is kept low by subsidies.

almonds take a lot of water to grow and are commonly grown in regions where water is scarce and is provided to farmers for little to no monetary cost with few restrictions
Pretty much all food. I can work for 5 minutes and buy 700 Calories’ worth of trail mix. My work consists of walking around a climate controlled room answering questions about things people are buying.

This means that with 15 minutes per day of effort, I get a diet more consistent than my ancestors could get with six hours of work per day.

Food is ridiculously cheap around me.
Dry beans. A $2 bag makes a massive pot.
Does water count? It's the first thing that always comes to mind for me. I'm certainly not complaining, but it amazes me that, no matter where you go, water, even clean water, is universally free. It's certainly not unlimited.
Coffee and Chocolate for sure. Their prices rely really heavily on slavery or something so very near it you're splitting hairs by drawing a line.
To be fair, banana are only cheap in North America compared to the cost of other fruits. Bananas are pretty expensive if you consider you can get around 8-10 for a dollar in places where they are local.
Ramen always surprises me by how it remains consistently cheap
Always thought garlic bread is such a steal. Often you can get 2 (small) baguettes for less than £1 and G Bread is so good. When my plans of world domination come in, free garlic bread for everyone is first on the agenda.
Almost anything at Costco.
Rotisserie chickens
imo I don't think there is any food item costs less than it should

edit: I'm speaking as a person who is broke and I buy microwave meals because I don't have time, money or energy to make/eat other stuff
They're not growing or picking or shipping one banana. They're growing it by the tree, picking by the bunch, and shipping by huge units.
Nice try, Davos
I'm not sure if it's what you mean exactly, but every time I buy sour cream, I'm shocked at how cheap it is, compared to other dairy products
I was told food is expensive now.
Like everything made in China.

A shirt that costs $8? Board game that costs $20?

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