June 22, 2011 - Did You Know...

Did you know...

• 80% of our beef supply, 70% of our lamb supply, and 65% of our pork supply comes from just 4 companies?  (Swift & Co. {formerly ConAgra}, IBP/Tyson, Excel, Farmland National Beef)
• Detroit is the 11th largest city in America
• The unemployment rate is ~16%
• Has enough room for 2 million residents yet only has 900,000
• Those citizens live among 130000 abandoned homes
• $480 Million worth of food stamps was pumped into the area last year alone
• Only 10% of places those food stamps can be redeemed can be considered grocery stores
• As of 2007, Detroit is the only major city in America that doesn't have a major supermarket
• The U.S. food system is a $1 Trillion economic engine in our economy
• In 2008 Barack Obama was quoted saying "We can't solve global warming because I f-ing changed light bulbs in my house."  - Just thought that was funny...
• In 2010 corn was harvested on 82 million acres (27% of cultivated farmland in America)
• 43% is used for domestic livestock feed
• 15% is exported for livestock feed
• Of >45,000 items in a typical grocery store, >25% contain corn
• It takes 4000 gallons of water to produce 1 bushel (56 lbs.) of corn
• Farmers typically produce 163 bushels of corn per acre
• ... I'll do the math for you: 163 X 82 Mil = 13,366,000,000 bushels (~748 Trillion lbs.)
• Therefore 53,464 Trillion gallons of water usage...
• The average distance any food item travels from production to plate is 1500 miles
• Our food system consumes 10.3 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce 1.4 calories of food energy
• >30% of that energy is used in packaging, transportation, and retail/food service sales
• In 1810, 93% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas, and just 7% in cities
• In 1900, 40% lived in cities
• In 1950, 64% lived in cities
• In 1990, >75% of our population lives in cities.
• It is estimated that one U.S. farmer produces food for 155 people
• That means that less than 2% of the population provides food for the other 98% of us
• The big four grocery chains (Wal-mart, Kroger, Safeway, Supervalu) account for 47% of all grocery sales in America
• Only ~2% of food purchased in America comes from local sustainable sources
• The American Farmland Trust estimates that the U.S. is losing ~3000 acres per day of prime farmland
• Agricultural production accounts for ~6% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
• Agricultural production accounts for ~16% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world
• The food system accounts for 15 - 20% of total energy usage in the U.S.
• Greater than 57% of those living in low income areas in the U.S. have limited physical access to a supermarket

So what does this all mean?  Well, it means a whole lot of things.  It seems to me that the U.S. economy's constant desire to improve economic efficiency - get the most product for the least amount of money - has overshadowed what is really important to most people (i.e.: health, sustainability, our children's future, the planet's future, etc.).  The really sickening part for me and the people like me who desire a change and have gone the distance to educate ourselves on the matter, is that the economy (and government) have done all of this right in front of us... and we've voted into office the public officials who demand these problems exist!  So it's pretty much our fault (mine included).  Inaction enables action.  I encourage (I actually demand, but have no authority) anyone reading this to do ONE thing to fix the system.  Just one!  Why does doing just one thing make a difference?  I will illustrate using a rather odd analogy: when I was attending Northern Illinois University I joined the Sigma Pi fraternity and was introduced to a Greek organization sponsored event called Tugs.  It's just a giant tug-of-war competition between fraternities, but it's remarkable similar to the tug-of-war between the American consumer and the economic system (supply and demand) of the food system as we know it.  Upon first glance at a Tugs competition all you see are two teams of eight (I can't remember the actual number) huge dudes, hunkered down in trenches, grappling a giant rope, and producing an incredible force in opposing directions, with little to no movement.  But if you stick around for a couple of minutes you'll see something amazingly violent happen, and you'll soon understand how Tugs works.  What you will see is what I refer to as a blast.  One team will, in unison, rise slightly off of their perch, and then slam back down all at once, blasting the other team with a shockwave of force.  This blast weakens the other side, and leans the competition towards one side.  Can you see where I'm going with this?  If this post can influence all of you to go out and buy local, or buy from a farmers market, or introduce yourselves to a farmer and offer some free labor, or plant a backyard vegetable garden, or stop using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, or pick up a book about the subject, or (most importantly) tell someone else to read this or one of the many other sources on the subject, we can send a blast to the U.S. food system.  You see, the economics of the food system is what drives the food system in the wrong direction.  I understand that organic, and locally grown, and farm fresh food are expensive (for now) but if we don't change the market, the prices will never change.  Change the demand, and the supply will follow.  It would be awesome if the food system could just change the supply and allow demand to follow, but look at who we're dealing with: politicians, CEOs of major food conglomerates, etc.  So, like everything else that is political in the U.S., us little people have to change everything.

I want to know what you think.  I understand that this is an overwhelming subject, and the tasks ahead seem daunting.  And if that's all you have to say, say that.  But leave a comment on this post to tell me what you think, or what you're going to do/already doing, or your objections to my opinions, etc.  The food system as it is has only two goals in mind: increase supply and lower prices.  These goals disguise reality under the cloak that "we can end childhood hunger," or "we can make food more affordable."  These ideas are great and need to be addressed, but are addressed by simple economics.  Increasing supply is increasing supply.  If we increase supply of the right food, then the goal is met.  And increasing supply will lower price no matter how you do it.  So what realities are being disguised?  Below is a list of the top twelve problems caused by the food systems as it is today in no specific order:

• Declining food quality
• Compromised food safety
• Animal welfare concerns
• Water pollution
• Separation of crops and livestock
• Soil erosion and depletion
• Loss of farmland
• Energy consumption and greenhouse gas production
• Problems of food access and food security
• Diet-related illness
• Worker exploitation
• An aging farmer population

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think.  And if you can, tell a friend.