Wal-Mart's second quarter 2008 earnings were reported by the company to be $101 billion. SuperValu Corporation reported 2007 revenues of roughly $37 billion. Target Corp., meanwhile, reported 2007 earnings of more than $63 billion, of which 34 percent was attributed to consumables and commodities.
In many of our local communities, the three corporations listed above account for a good chunk of your "choice" when it comes time to fill the cupboard and the fridge. Now, I'm a free market person and I'm not implying that large corporations are evil. I'm just saying that if you are freaking out about the cost of food these days, think about what kind of margin, built into the price of Hamburger Helper, goes into supporting those kinds of earnings.
There are better ways to eat. And it's not elitist to want to eat better or feed your children healthier foods. After all, food allergies in children are up 34 percent in the last decade. Highly processed foods, widely available at big-box stores and touted as a "convenience," are noted as a cause.
We can do better for ourselves and it's not that hard to find local sources of "slow" foods. It might take a bit of time up front to locate your sources, but once they're in place, eating good food will become far more convenient than running to Super Target for a processed frozen dinner labeled Archer Farms (which isn't really a farm but a "brand" created by Target).
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1 comment:
I personally blame my genes for my food allergies ;) just kidding
-marc
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