Does "healthy food" (fruits and vegetables) have to be so expensive? David Sirota doesn't think so. In fact, he blames "the ultimate elitists: agribusiness CEOs, their lobbyists and the politicians they own." Sirota alleges that these corporations use "public monies to protect private profit." "Lawmakers whose campaigns are underwritten by agribusinesses have used billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize those agribusinesses' specific commodities (corn, soybeans, wheat, etc.) that are the key ingredients of unhealthy food. Not surprisingly, the subsidies have manufactured a price inequality that helps junk food undersell nutritious-but-unsubsidized foodstuffs like fruits and vegetables. The end result is that recession-battered consumers are increasingly forced by economic circumstance to "choose" the lower-priced junk food that their taxes support."
For example, Sirota points out that the federal government has poured over 50 billion dollars into the corn industry over the last decade. "Corn, of course, is processed into the junk-food staple, corn syrup, and feeds the livestock which produces meat."
I am sure there is truth in Sirota's words. But what responsibility does the individual consumer have? Do we really have to choose the french fries and Coke, the chips and donuts?
Working part-time as a Wal-Mart cashier, I notice that Hispanics of all income levels still buy large quantities of Roma Tomatoes, mangos and jalapeno peppers. People from India now living in the U.S. buy large quantities of other vegetables. Stores that survive cater to the preferences of their customers. No one is "forcing" me to buy junk food. That is a choice, folks.
No comments:
Post a Comment