this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 months ago (9 children)

It is in part a consumer issue. Consumers want things as cheaply as possible, and companies that produce as cheaply as possible sell more product. We've seen the same issue with apparel; America wants cheap clothing, and so the mills in the US have largely closed, and most production has been moved overseas in order to make the final products cheap enough.

And while it's partly a consumer issue, the fact that wages haven't kept up with productivity--that is, more and more money is being skimmed out of the system by investors and executives rather than going to the workers--has been the driver towards making consumer goods more and more cheaply, simply because people have less purchasing power.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Just because something is expensive doesn't always mean that the standard of living of those making the product is any better. Nike sweat shops for example.

Consumers dont have a lot of transparent choices here. Governments have roles in regulating and making the true cost of products more transparent. I'd say businesses have that responsibility, but clearly that doesn't work, otherwise we wouldn't be here etc. Businesses dont want people feeling guilty when they buy their product, so why would they tell people.

For a business to be competitive in a harm free supply chain, then the playing field needs to be levelled. Transparent supply chains everywhere, make everyone feel guilty all the time, maybe something would change.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Just because something is expensive doesn’t always mean that the standard of living of those making the product is any better.

Oh, absolutely. But when mills, etc. are in the US, there's more direct control over the living conditions of the workers.

make everyone feel guilty all the time,

Then people just tune it all out, and learn to accept the inherent violence of the system. Sadly.

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[–] [email protected] 88 points 6 months ago (6 children)

Then, when you try to legislate any kind of standard for humane livestock treatment, the farmers throw a hissy fit and block all the roads with their tractors.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Was that due to animal welfare regulations? Thought it had to do with regulations favoring mega farms and forcing small farms to stop.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago

It's because of all kinds of things in different places

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 months ago

Also featuring angry people because of a possible increase in price for meat/dairy.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 6 months ago (4 children)

As a meat eater, it's shit like this which is why I've been buying more vegetarian shit. Every week there's a new food recall. People are getting real sick and dying.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

Same here. I tried out blackbean burgers, plant-based hot dogs, tofu and almond milk in my last couple of grocery runs, just to see what's up. Turns out I really like tofu as a substitute for ground beef, and the veggie dogs tasted just like all beef franks to me. And none of these things were any more expensive than meat, so that's also a big plus.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Which veggie dog worked for you? I can't find one that grills correctly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

They're from "Morning Star Farms," though I was careful to only say that they taste right, haha -- They don't plump up when cooked, and are prone to scorching in spots on the grill. But the flavor is spot on!

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

Same. Me too. When i buy meat, then it's only organic and the best ethical treatment I can find. And also waaaaaay less in general. It just became bad in every sense of way and plant-based stuff has gotten so much better over the last 3 decades.

Only thing that pisses me off is that the food my food eats is even more expensive for no apparent reason (edit: yes ofc i know the socio-economic reasons. As a consumer i just don't care. That's what i meant)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Meat and dairy are heavily subsidized by the government (at least in US). Government subsidies for animal agriculture allow them to sell for cheaper because they can sell for less than what it actually costs to make.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Potatos are friends now

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Consumers: only buy the cheapest regardless of how it's produced, ensuring a race to the bottom

Producers: lower standards to increase production so they can sell meat for the lowest cost

Consumers when they find out what that entails: shocked pikachu face

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago

Corporations: Under pay employees for decades

Consumers: only buy the cheapest regardless of how it’s produced, ensuring a race to the bottom

Producers: lower standards to increase production so they can sell meat for the lowest cost

Consumers when they find out what that entails: shocked pikachu face

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 60 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I highly doubt that chain of causation to be true. Had people paid more, the producers would still lower their cost base as much as possible, in order to maximize profits.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 6 months ago

Don‘t forget that this makes their asses wet AF

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

Yup. The meat industry, like all food gets completely away from climate pollution tax. The government's climate solution is forcing you to sell your gas car and buy a freakin' Tesla.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 6 months ago

Yeah, okay buddy. I suppose next you're gonna tell me climate change is real, huh?

[–] [email protected] 27 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

This should read as:

Regulators: allows the meat industry to put creatures in the filthiest conditions possible

disease starts spreading and affecting the industry

Regulators: 😧

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

This really should read as:

Republicans defund regulation budgets to appease meat producers' donations.

Regulators: "there's three of us"

Meat producers: "we have no incentive to follow existing laws and standards which were lax as hell to begin with."

[–] [email protected] 47 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

More like:

Meat industry: lobbies regulators and focuses on profits above all else despite every warning against it

disease starts spreading and affecting the industry

Meat industry: 😮

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

This is spot on. The meat industry for years has been trusted because of regulation. The moment you take away regulation you take away trust and start a race to the bottom. Ask any of these other deregulated industries:

-News and Television -Deregulated in the 90s

-Boeing and commercial aircraft - Merged unchallenged in the 90s and the FAA allowed "self reporting"

-Banks - Deregulated in the 90s.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I beg of you, just eat beans it's so much easier than trying to fix industrial meat agriculture. There will never be a fix for it that makes ut affordable and green.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

Waiting on lab grown meat to go vegan is the same thing as waiting on carbon recapture to solve climate change. We can, and must, do shit now but that requires inconvenient changes to out way of life. Instead we jump on half-baked bandwagons to tech ourselves out of a miserable future because we don't want to be confronted with the idea that we might be wrong.

[–] [email protected] 101 points 6 months ago (2 children)

We keep 10,000 chickens in a single huge building whose floor is literally layers of their old shit, give them just enough room to stand there and not move around, and leave it there without any environmental controls through the hottest days of the year. What do you mean disease is prevalent?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

You'd think the disease couldn't handle these conditions.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 6 months ago

Don't forget that we also feed the cows the chicken shit to cut costs!

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