5 Things Your Local Grocers Won’t Tell You About Their Food
Something is severely wrong with our food system. We waste more food than developed countries can grow, obesity kills three times the number of people who die from malnutrition, and a third of the food produced is wasted by the time it gets into our homes. So what the hell’s going on?
1. THE WEAKENED CANADIAN DOLLAR IS DRASTICALLY DRIVING UP THE COST OF FOOD.
Have you ever wondered why a single banana used to cost less than 20 cents, and now it’s up to a dollar per? Let’s start by looking at our economy. It’s no secret that Canada’s current economic health is in a state of turmoil; our dollar continues to be weak. As a result, the price of food has relatively become more expensive over previous years. Amongst all food items sold in retail and restaurants, can you guess what kind of food took the biggest hit? Fresh fruits and vegetables. 6–9 times more expensive over the course of one year.
2. IMPORTED FRUITS & VEGGIES NEED TO BE GASSED TO LAST THE JOURNEY.
Why is fresh produce most vulnerable to the loonie’s fluctuation? It’s because nearly all fresh produce in Canada is imported. According to Worldwatch Research Associate Brian Halweil, “a head of lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley of California and shipped nearly 3,000 miles to Washington, D.C., requires about 36 times as much fossil fuel energy in transport as it provides in food energy when it arrives”. Furthermore, from vine to grocery shelf, fresh vegetables can lose up to 45% of their nutritional value (IFR Extra). This is because fruits and vegetables are composed of 70–90% water, and will undergo moisture loss once cut off from their primary source of nutrients (the plant itself). This results in a degradation of taste and nutrients.
3. THE REAL COST OF FOOD ISN’T EVEN 20% OF THE SHELF PRICE.
At the end of the day, the cost to grow food is minimal compared to the price on a supermarket shelf. For every 2013 USD dollar, the farmer only sees an average of 20% while 80% goes to supply chain and marketing (USDA, 2013). Is that fair to the farmers? Is that worth it to you as the buyer? The bottom line is that people are actively looking for ways to save money and stretch the value of their dollar. When food is pricey, what do you think people cut first from their diet? Real food is just not an affordable option anymore. Or is it?
4. FARMING METHODS TODAY ARE OUTDATED, INEFFICIENT, AND OFTEN DANGEROUS.
Population growth has brought on the dangers of food insecurity. Scientists have been pressured to produce enough food to feed the world, but they have turned to synthetic chemicals and gene manipulation instead of more efficient methods of farming. If we keep this up, we won’t have enough food in less than 35 years! Just imagine the amount of preservatives, GMOs, and pesticides that have already gone into the development of a “resistant” plant, and additionally what’s added so they can control the ripening cycle when shipping fruits and veggies across continents to reach your local grocer. The food industry as it stands today is a big waste of food, nutrition, and transportation costs. So, are we going to wait for the next scientist to come up with some shiny new solution we know nothing about, or are we going to take matters into our own hands?
5. FRESH-OFF-THE-VINE BEATS THE SUPERMARKET, IS ORGANIC, AND IS CHEAP.
If you’ve ever gone strawberry picking, I’m sure you can attest to how delicious and juicy the fruit tastes straight off the vine. Taste. Nutritional value. Decreased food waste. Avoidance of pesticides and gassed fruits. If all these factors aren’t enough, the icing on the cake is that organic food can be cheaper than the stuff you can buy at a grocery store! With the fluctuation in the Canadian dollar, and with variable weather conditions that have been known to threaten crops such as with the recent Californian drought, the most obvious option that saves you money, preserves our environment, and increases nutritional value for the same amount of food consumed is to grow your own fruits and veggies. I know what your final objection is … soil? Bugs? Effort? That all sounds a little much… but it’s 2016 and we’ve got an AVA for that.
AVA is a beautiful smart farm for your home, and it is still a product concept that we need your help to bring to life. This blog post is intended to answer the questions of “Why Bother” growing food at home, and to share a solution that makes it easy to do so. Fresh herbs to finish your pasta, crispy kale for your salad, and the sweetest strawberries you’ve ever tasted, all at your fingertips. Eating healthier and ‘farm-to-table’ has never been easier, cheaper and more accessible.
There’s never been a better (and direr) time to grow food at home. Join the AVA Revolution at avagarden.co.
