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Food Quote by Bryant Simon

“Cheap relies on one other essential factor--a carefully constructed cover-up. In 1991, three golden-fried chicken fillets made at Imperial Food Products along with an order of fries cost $1.99 at Shoney's. This price, however, hid the real costs of the social system that allowed a company like…” quote by Bryant Simon
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““Cheap relies on one other essential factor--a carefully constructed cover-up. In 1991, three golden-fried chicken fillets made at Imperial Food Products along with an order of fries cost $1.99 at Shoney's. This price, however, hid the real costs of the social system that allowed a company like Shoney's to charge so little for heaping plates of calorie-dense foods. Covered up were the costs incurred in farm subsidies and the piles of debt taken on by the chicken growers, some of whom had been turned into "modern-day serfs." The price didn't include the cost of food stamps for the underpaid, road building for transport, the cleanup of waterways polluted by animal factories, or the health care outlays needed in order to address the myriad issues linked to obesity and the litany of other ills associated with chronic overexposure to sugary, salty, and fatty foods. At the same time, the system of cheap never paid a dime for the wanton cruelty it imposed on animals or the injuries suffered by workers while killing ... and processing industrially produced chickens.””

Bryant Simon

About This Quote

Source Article: “The True Cost of Cheap Food”, The Atlantic, 2020

Cheap food masks hidden social, environmental, and health costs, shifting burdens onto taxpayers and ecosystems.

In simple terms: Cheap meals hide hidden costs.

Key Takeaway

Consider true costs before consumption.

Themes

economics environment health ethics food industry

Mood

concerned critical

Type

analytical explanatory

When to use this quote

  • policy making
  • consumer choices
  • restaurant pricing
  • government budgeting

Key Concepts

externalities subsidies industrial agriculture animal welfare

Questions to Reflect On

  • What hidden costs influence your food choices?
  • How can consumers demand transparency?
A Different Perspective

The analysis may oversimplify complex supply chains.

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