Cally's working title

To many, the supermarket is a shrine of cheap food and convenience - 90% of us use them as our main place to shop. They offer variety - strawberries all year round and chicken for a few pounds. How can this be?

Why is food so cheap? When we buy our potatoes at the supermarket, do we think about the financial burden put on those who grow them? The power of the supermarket is second to none. They dictate how much the grower receives, and in many cases, this is under the price taken to produce the food.

We as consumers however, seem to have removed ourselves from all forms of responsibility. All we want is cheap food and apparently we don’t care where or how it’s obtained. Naturally, a chicken takes months from hatching to maturity. Time and money is spent caring for and nurturing the birds. Why should we expect to pay just a few pounds for the end product?

Cheap food has hidden costs. Here is an example: A chicken farmer is financially stretched to the limits. He’s held hostage by a giant supermarket; working long hours and making little money, since the supermarket doesn’t cover his costs. Sickness sweeps through the flock and urgent veterinarian attention is needed. This they get, but unfortunately the farmer can’t pay the vet’s bill. The veterinarian on the other hand has studied for seven long years to be qualified and has tens of thousands of pounds in student loans to pay back. The vet of course cannot see a flock of birds waste away and die, so treats the animals and does not get paid.

Recent figures on suicide and occupation show that veterinary surgeons are 3 times more likely to die from suicide than the general population. Suicide rates are twice as common in farmers.

So, the next time you do your weekly shop, stop and think for a moment the consequences of living in a society where fresh food is dirt cheap.