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

submitted 10 months ago by otp@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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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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[-] bigMouthCommie@kolektiva.social 0 points 10 months ago

they didn't say any of what you said.

you are arguing with a strawman.

[-] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 10 months ago

That's what a farm is. They're saying we should keep farming them or else they would go extinct and that would be worse than continuing to farm them.

[-] bigMouthCommie@kolektiva.social -2 points 10 months ago

they did not say what you said. you are putting words in their mouth.

[-] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

What did they say then? What are the implications? what are they arguing against?

[-] bigMouthCommie@kolektiva.social -1 points 10 months ago

https://lemmy.world/comment/6837081

this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2024

160 points (97.1% liked)

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