The real cost of cheap food

Most people seems to want cheaper and cheaper food. Supermarkets constantly have price wars with their competitors to try and encourage people into their stores. But cheap food has hidden costs which affect people, the environment and the welfare of animals. For example, pesticides may kill pests but they can also seriously pollute water supplies under the ground and effect drinking water. This water has to be cleaned up before it can be used. That's expensive to do and should be paid for as part of the cost of 'cheap' food. But it isn't and so people have to pay higher prices for their water supplies - or drink polluted water.

Then there are factory farms. Apart from the cruelty to animals, the pollution from factory farms affects streams, rivers and even the sea and coral reefs.

Finally, there's the problem of subsidy. This is where governments, usually in rich developed countries, pay money to farmers to grow crops. This makes food falsely cheap. It can then be sold cheaply in other parts of the world which drives farmers in poorer countries out of business as they do not receive similar subsidies for their work.