Does Annapolis Need a Food Revolution?

For years, Wendell Berry – social critic, author, and farmer in Kentucky – has been arguing that industrialization’s exploitation of body, earth, and community is destroying all three. Berry believes that food and agriculture are central to this issue. But should we Annapolitans be concerned by his claims?

Apparently, droves of people nationwide are concerned and have committed to eating food that is good for the body and the land. Since the 1970s and 80s, the organic food movement, “slow food” movement, and CSA programs have been striving to persuade the masses that we can no longer afford to be ignorant in our decisions about what we eat, where our food comes from, and how it is made. Following on the heels of these movements, English chef and TED prize winner Jamie Oliver created tremendous buzz back in March when he launched his nationally televised Food Revolution in Huntington, WV to try to save the nation’s unhealthiest city. Granted, Anne Arundel County health statistics suggest that Annapolis is in slightly better shape health-wise than Huntington, WV, but the similarities are striking.

In fact, the leading causes of death in Anne Arundel County are almost identical to those of the entire U.S., with cancer, heart disease, and stroke at the top of the list. Oliver identifies these three, plus diabetes in sixth place, as diet-related diseases (and assures us that every doctor and specialist will agree). If he’s correct, then why are the health statistics for our county – one of the wealthiest in America – so similar to the rest of the country? Does the average Annapolitan have access to and the resources to eat healthy but just isn’t, or are there other factors that are contributing to our high rates of cancer and heart disease?

One place we can start looking for answers is our grocery stores. By way of introduction, it might be helpful to think about the economics of the larger “Food Revolution” that has been under way in our country over the last few decades and how this has affected the food that has been showing up on our store shelves.

When you think about buying healthy foods – particularly foods labeled “organic” – one of the things that immediately comes to mind is price. Take for example organic chicken breasts, which are typically twice as expensive as the regular ones. From an economic perspective, here are some ideas why they aren’t so cheap… yet.

Typically what drives down the price of a certain product (assuming for now that the quality remains the same) is a market populated by several competitors who vie for low prices in order to gain customers. To put it in simple terms, Whole Foods’ prices would most likely be even higher without Trader Joe’s and Fresh Market in the same town. For instance, I’ve found prices on organic vegetables to be lower at the Fresh Market than at Whole Foods, which certainly puts some pressure on the latter if they are going to compete for my business.

But how are price and availability linked? If a thousand people start buying organic chicken breasts, the cheaper they can get, because naturally more producers will want to offer the product in order to keep up with consumer demand. The introduction of more products to the market usually results in lower prices, i.e. the law of supply and demand. And as long as consumers insist on buying organic chicken breasts, producers will most likely have to offer them if they wish to gain and maintain customers. On the other hand, maybe the cage-free eggs that I fried up for lunch today simply are worth a dollar or two more than the battery eggs – that is, it just costs more to produce them and that cost is passed on to me, the consumer.

Naturally, at the early stages of a new or relatively young sector (e.g. organic foods) within the market, the product is rather expensive, since consumers are few and competition low. This might mean that only the wealthy can afford it for a while, until enough consumers have placed their demands on the market. Also, in this stage a few larger producers will initially dominate the market (e.g. Whole Foods), until smaller suppliers have gained the strength to compete. Because of this, the buyer’s decision about where to shop directly influences the development and potential growth of the market as a whole.

After all this talk of market principles, I also question what is at stake when producers compete for low prices, even if the quality of the product is not compromised. As we’ve all been told many times before, there’s no such thing as a free ride.

And in terms of our eating experience, has something been lost when over dinner I realize that I have no clue who grew my potatoes and who invested the tremendous labor that went into their cultivation?

In my next article, we’ll plunge further into the question of why our county is suffering from diet-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease by looking at the foods that local grocers are selling. Hopefully, we can avoid a radical food revolution by finding some wholesome food nearby!