After living in PT in 1990-91 ...being used to the feiras (markets) where everything was so much cheaper than at any store, I had sticker shock when I went to a farmers market in US. WTF? Why was it so freakin expensive? Growing up in Wisconsin....back then we didnt necessarily have farmer's markets...it was more like road side stands....where the farmers would put a selling station near the end of their driveway. Sometimes the payment was on the honor system....toss the listed prices in a coffee tin and if needed, make change for yourself if possible...and you take your item. It was only after I was in college that I discovered farmers markets. But I still say...why are they so much more expensive than the grocery store as well as in PT everything at the markets is so much more economical than other places?
It’s because mass-produced chemical-aided food is significantly cheaper to produce. Farmers at US local markets don’t have scale. In Portugal, there is mass-produced food but at a much smaller scale. Those who grow for mercados, or if it’s an adjunct to their commercial crops, generally have a low profit ratio. Their customers are the Portuguese making €700-1,000 a month, not American retirees living on investments and SS. Their prices reflect this. Local farmers make very little profit. But I suspect your Wisconsin market farmers make very little profit, too, given the high US cost-of-living.
Part of the problem in considering the overall health in America is that at least 20% of the population doesn't get adequate health care. Another significant percent can't afford it. There is no equality when it comes to health in America. Diet plays a role because obesity is a serious health risk and we are fatter than ever. I'm going on a diet today. Anyway, can't wait to have you guys cooking for me again.
And another considerable factor is food deserts, rural and urban areas where a Dollar Store is your only food shop. My mom isn’t poor but lives in rural Iowa— where a proper grocery store is a half-hour drive.
After living in PT in 1990-91 ...being used to the feiras (markets) where everything was so much cheaper than at any store, I had sticker shock when I went to a farmers market in US. WTF? Why was it so freakin expensive? Growing up in Wisconsin....back then we didnt necessarily have farmer's markets...it was more like road side stands....where the farmers would put a selling station near the end of their driveway. Sometimes the payment was on the honor system....toss the listed prices in a coffee tin and if needed, make change for yourself if possible...and you take your item. It was only after I was in college that I discovered farmers markets. But I still say...why are they so much more expensive than the grocery store as well as in PT everything at the markets is so much more economical than other places?
It’s because mass-produced chemical-aided food is significantly cheaper to produce. Farmers at US local markets don’t have scale. In Portugal, there is mass-produced food but at a much smaller scale. Those who grow for mercados, or if it’s an adjunct to their commercial crops, generally have a low profit ratio. Their customers are the Portuguese making €700-1,000 a month, not American retirees living on investments and SS. Their prices reflect this. Local farmers make very little profit. But I suspect your Wisconsin market farmers make very little profit, too, given the high US cost-of-living.
Part of the problem in considering the overall health in America is that at least 20% of the population doesn't get adequate health care. Another significant percent can't afford it. There is no equality when it comes to health in America. Diet plays a role because obesity is a serious health risk and we are fatter than ever. I'm going on a diet today. Anyway, can't wait to have you guys cooking for me again.
And another considerable factor is food deserts, rural and urban areas where a Dollar Store is your only food shop. My mom isn’t poor but lives in rural Iowa— where a proper grocery store is a half-hour drive.
I agree. And I am looking forward to cooking for you!
Nice display! Yumm...