The psychology of cheap meat
The Grocer
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Children in abattoirs? A ban on ‘fake farm’ labels? Perhaps a citizens’ assembly for food? These are just a few suggestions to fix Britain’s damaging relationship with cheap meat.
But perhaps the first question is how we got here. Why, when quizzed, do most Brits say they care about animal welfare, and yet so often opt not to fork out for higher-welfare products?
It is a question explored this week by Rob Percival off the back of his book, The Meat Paradox. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the reasons are complex and aren’t simply due to money.
It seems in many cases it comes down to a series of illusions. Some of these we impose on ourselves, but others have been constructed to separate us from the origins of our food.
Addressing them is of vital importance. Meat is cheap due to ever more intensive farming practices. That’s not just a problem for welfare. It’s bad for the environment, driving harm like excess waste pollution into Britain’s rivers. It’s bad for the climate, due to issues like cattle’s oversized methane footprint. And it’s bad for farmers, many of whom now face bankruptcy due to an inability to recover their costs.
Somehow, that’s got to be fixed.
By Harry Holmes
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More of this week's deep dives in The Grocer:
Stuck-at-home consumers were captivated by direct-to-consumer offerings. But as they have returned to shops, many brands have followed
The best and worst of grocery’s April fool’s pranks. From peri peri gum to, err, fruit-flavoured water
Last week, Parfetts opened its new 100,000 sq ft Birmingham cash & carry
Innocent splashed £200m on its first- ever factory, positioned on the edge of the port for fruit fresh off the boat. It is one of several moves to cut down its carbon footprint
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