Raj Patel is against cheap food
Raj Patel, award-winning writer, activist, and academic, recently spoke out against cheap food at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food鈥檚 International Dialogue in Milan, Italy. 鈥淲hen you pull at the price of cheap food, the food system unravels,鈥� explained Patel. 鈥淐heap food helps keep wages down. If food prices go up, even more people will go hungry than the 850 million we already have.鈥�
Patel demystifies a new type of accounting that takes into consideration the social, environmental, and health impacts of food production. He points out, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a theory of change here, of a kind. In a world where prices reflect environmental damage, you reward good behavior. If you internalize costs, agroecological food at your local farmers鈥� market ends up being cheaper than the packages at a supermarket.鈥� This method of accounting is called true cost accounting and could radically change the food system.
鈥淚f we get the prices right, sustainable food can compete on a level playing field and win,鈥� says Patel.
