Stash Wars

If you live around my part of Germany you cannot have failed to notice our latest food scandal. Once again contaminated animal feed has led to traces of dioxines in poultry and eggs, and right now it looks as if other livestock may be affected, too. Once again farmers who were convinced that they had taken all necessary precautions now see their produce banned from sale. And once again people raise their voices and ask “Why don’t they just switch over to organic production?”, as if it were that simple.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m pro organic production, hands down. But we should bear in mind that this switch would likely cause an increase in food prices. Sure, if you include the damage to the environment in your calculations, the prices for organic produce are realistic prices and industrially produced food is only as cheap as it is because, like so often, most of the hidden costs, the costs of things like water pollution and soil erosion, are switched over to the public. That still does not change the fact that right now, food produced by organic methods is more expensive than conventionally produced food.

So can we please spare a thought for the people who can hardly afford conventionally produced food? At the cheapest price they can find? The people who struggle daily just to keep themselves fed? Are they supposed to disappear if they suddenly cannot afford their food anymore, or would you prefer them to just go hungry?

Before we can even think of switching over all food production in Germany to organic methods, we would first have to make sure that everybody can afford this food, and has access to it. I think it could be done, and I certainly think it’s an avenue worth pursuing. But please, please, for the love of God, don’t pretend it’s simple.