What food really costs us

Good evening lovely people, Mandy here. It’s Thanksgiving, the one day a year that almost everyone in the U.S. turns their attention towards food.

With this holiday being so food centric, I was thinking even more so about our food system. Mainly, how Americans have been misled in regards to how precious food is and with that, the true value of it.

Earlier this month I was at a grocery store with my husband and saw a name brand Apple Pie in the freezer section that was $5.99. I pointed it out and said, “See that pie? What most people don’t know - is in order for that pie to be sold at $5.99 the manufacturer spent a MAXIMUM of 75 CENTS on the ingredients.” The look on his face is probably similar to the look on yours right now.

So how the hell can they only spend 75 cents on ingredients!? First, they’re a huge company with buying power that can push farmers around to get the price they want and second they’re using the lowest quality, most processed filler ingredients available, that are not only bad for you, but the planet. It's really crappy, but that $5.99 quickly ends up costing everyone a lot more in the long run.

I bring all of this up as a reminder of the amazing small business with ethics that we must continue to support. Yes, these small businesses come at a premium but there’s a reason. 

I created a pie chart - pun intended -  to give you an idea of where every cent of your dollar goes within my company and companies like mine.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy holiday. 

xox,

Mandy