If you are British you may remember that recently Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall (for non British readers the name is TOTALLY genuine) did a TV programme to determine how supermarket chains could produce a chicken for £2.50. The results were pretty shocking, I think the horrors of Battery Farming are something most of us either ignore or dismiss because its the "only way we can feed our families".
The later is of course not true we have choices on how we spend our money. Relative food prices are much cheaper than they were 50 years ago, we would rather spend the money on a new I-POD and demand cheaper prices. We make great play of wanting food produced ethically but many of us (mea culpa) don't practice what we preach.
We are told by farmers that British farmers treat animals better than many countries and that we should by British. This is of course difficult to do as was improved by BBC Countryfile when their resident farmer Adam Henson showed how easy it is to disguise the country origin.
I suspect that the Housewife of 50 years ago would manage the budget better than we could today. Need made them much better at using everything rather than todays disposable culture. They also had the time, or perhaps made the time. Today people like me just go and buy it "off the shelf". Essentially we (I) are lazy.
I write the above with the news that Tesco are now selling chickens at £1.99. Whereas I am sure Tesco will try to adopt best practice we all know there has to be impacts on the animals involved.
I guess I am going to have to review the eternal triangle of my concern for the animals, my natural bone idleness and the effect on my pocket.
4 comments:
They would start all these guilt trips on chicken now wouldn't they, when I've just started eating it again after 14 years of abstinence. I am trying very hard not to think about it when I have my evening meals, I can't face going back to eating quorn and pasta every night of my life again. :(
I agree with you about earlier generations using "everything they had" and not wasting anything. Even now my mother will not throw out such items as packaging, the rappers on magazines etc. etc., as "there will always be a use for them".
We do live in a "ready made" society and I'm as guilty as anyone in taking advantage of that.
Quite a thought provoking post.
How much? After all the razzmatazz that HFW started up? What will he think?
We started getting our meat from a local farm over the past year, 'cos I was worried about where Tescoland & co were getting their meat from. Whilst I do feel quite virtuous after HFW, and Jamie Oliver et al, it is a lot more expensive - £4 a lb for mince!!! I might do the opposite of Jan and start having quorn!
Post a Comment