The world’s largest multi-national corporations are working to manipulate you into eating more “equitable” food though a business strategy designed to help major “food players” and other large businesses facilitate “the coming food systems transition," Celine Ryan Ciccio writes.I think I have indigestion.
One thing they don't like is your chocolate chip cookies. Bear with me here as they explain:
The retail price of the cookie is ~USD $0.55. The price represents a combination of the “value” that the customer has placed on the product and is willing to pay for it and the brands pricing strategy. This value that is captured is likely a combination not only of the caloric value, but of the joy the cookie brings to the customer.
But this value does not account for many hidden costs. For instance, we calculated six externalities: GHG emissions, water scarcity, food waste, health impacts from empty calories,4 air pollution, and social costs. The environmental externalities are borne by all of us, the health costs by the individual and the broader British society that pays for the collective healthcare costs, and the social costs by the cacao farmworkers who may not be earning a living wage. This simple calculation adds USD $0.56 of hidden costs to the current cost of production, USD $0.33.
But this value does not account for many hidden costs. For instance, we calculated six externalities: GHG emissions, water scarcity, food waste, health impacts from empty calories,4 air pollution, and social costs. The environmental externalities are borne by all of us, the health costs by the individual and the broader British society that pays for the collective healthcare costs, and the social costs by the cacao farmworkers who may not be earning a living wage. This simple calculation adds USD $0.56 of hidden costs to the current cost of production, USD $0.33.
So, kids, what can chocolate chip companies do?
Companies can then choose to mitigate some of the negative impacts of a product, or even move towards a portfolio consisting of inherently more sustainable and healthy products. For instance, at the same value in the market (USD $0.55) a business could produce the ingredients of a more locally sourced, nutritious, oatmilk porridge.
The bowl of oats has cost of goods sold of USD $0.36 and carries hidden costs of only USD $0.19.5 Of course, a bowl of porridge is intuitively healthier, but hidden costs are also reduced by lower GHG emissions of certain ingredients, local sourcing of inputs, and the better support to farmers in these value chains than for cacao in Africa.
The bowl of oats has cost of goods sold of USD $0.36 and carries hidden costs of only USD $0.19.5 Of course, a bowl of porridge is intuitively healthier, but hidden costs are also reduced by lower GHG emissions of certain ingredients, local sourcing of inputs, and the better support to farmers in these value chains than for cacao in Africa.
They really talk like this. Kelloggs, Nestle and these companies are into this. This is going on. They are mad, but they are rich and powerful.
Okay, you tell your kid he has to eat oatmilk porridge after school.