The article by Behzad Hezarkhani and Manoj Dora emphasizes that current food prices do not reflect the true cost of food, considering the environmental and societal impacts. They argue that neither consumers nor retailers are bearing these hidden costs, leading to significant externalities in food production and distribution.
Key Points:
Environmental Costs:
Food production accounts for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the UK contributing around 30%.
Heavy reliance on imports (40% of fresh fruit and vegetables in the UK) adds extra emissions from transportation, increasing vulnerability to price fluctuations and disruptions.
Ethical Concerns:
The food supply chain is marred by issues such as poverty and modern slavery, with about 13% of forced labor victims in the UK coming from the food and agricultural sectors.
Consumer and Retailer Responsibility:
The idea of consumers paying more to cover these hidden costs is controversial. The authors argue that the focus should be on making the food supply chain more efficient and ethical.
Big supermarkets wield immense power over farmers and producers, often setting standards that contribute to waste (e.g., rejecting "ugly" vegetables).
Waste Reduction:
In the UK, 70% of food waste could have been consumed. Waste occurs at various stages, including retail and food processing, due to aesthetic standards and poor demand forecasting.
Improving Efficiency:
There are numerous handling processes before food reaches consumers, indicating inefficiencies that could be streamlined to reduce costs and environmental impact.
Proposed Solutions:
Developing shorter, localised supply chains to enhance transparency, reduce food miles and emissions, and support regional economies.
Promoting sustainable and regenerative farming methods to lessen environmental impacts while boosting resilience and productivity.
Empowering farmers and local retailers by optimizing operations and logistics, and adopting agriTech to improve productivity and reduce costs.
Conclusion:
The authors advocate for a multi-faceted approach to overhaul the food production, distribution, and retail system. They stress that responsibility should shift towards making the supply chain more sustainable and efficient, rather than simply increasing prices for consumers to sustain a flawed system. This comprehensive strategy aims to address the social and environmental costs currently externalized by the food industry.
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