In case you are a fan of the green lifestyle, you probably want cheap green foods of better quality. So far, this is an illusion, for there is no cheap food that is healthy enough to be labeled as green.
The cheap foods are more often the premade ready meals. This is the fastest option for lunch or dinner, but actually this food contains bad chemicals, which can be harmful for your health or the environment. The chemical alternatives are cheap because if chemically treated the frozen food lasts longer.
When did you last check out the label and the expiration date on a can of beans or on the microwave ready dish you enjoyed? Of course you bought them for almost nothing and they were more than enough to satisfy your hunger. How green and healthy they were… well that is another story.
All frozen foods that can be cooked and made ready to eat in a matter of minutes are chemically treated so that they can be kept a longer period of time. They contain preservatives that are able to keep them as they were when frozen.
Of course everybody loves the supermarket promotions, the low food cost, buying two items for the same price, etc. The truth is that today the price of food in 80% lower than it was a century ago. The gourmet treats are way cheaper, so people can afford them.
The whole idea that the discounts help the humanity not to go hungry is nothing but a large blindfold over our eyes. Yes, food is cheap, and promotions help us fill our bellies, however the hidden cost escapes us.
Factory farming and intensive agriculture are the things hiding beyond the low price on the shelf.
Factory farming refers to animals raised and fed with hormones so they will grow faster and develop a larger muscle mass. This is how we get younger and juicier beef, larger chicken breasts and bigger turkeys.
Would you buy cheap beer if you knew it is made out of self fermenting powder rather than malt? Would you buy mashed eggs in a cardboard bottle if you knew that the hens they came from had such a low calcium level that the eggshell was too soft?
It is true that we like fresh fruits, fresh berries in winter, bananas any time of the year, but we never think how much more than technology is behind the fruits we enjoy.
