What Does Cheap Food Cost?

By: Nate Doherty, Liam Fuerst, and Chris Waldron 

Industrialized farming has been shaped by and perpetuated the diverse social geography present throughout the United States. However, while industrialized agriculture was designed to meet these demands, and to feed the masses cheaply and efficiently, the distribution network has been shown to be inadequate. This is reflected by the millions of Americans who still suffer from food insecurity or reside in food deserts. For those fortunate enough to live within the food distribution web, the availability of cheap food has subjected industrialized farming to forces of consumerism, and encourages waste. Unfortunately, cheap food does have ancillary costs to surrounding communities, as well as to the planet as a whole.