In the past three weeks, we have looked at how big of a role economics plays in the food trade. From sugar becoming more than just a luxury good to being a staple in households to planting crops for a drug enterprise because it is the only way to keep families fed. Sugar being a staple is counter-intuitive because it has shown to have harmful consequences to our health, yet it is in almost everything we eat (Robbins, 1999, p. 213). Although, it is an addictive substance that helps to make foods taste better. Due to its ability to make food taste better, it has been marketed and used to sell goods.
In the 1990s Wall Street decided to take part in the food trade, which very quickly paid off for them (Frederick, 2010, p. 27). They cashed in big on food because there will always be a large demand for it because people need to eat to survive. What this caused was food to be traded like stocks and putting money into the pockets of investors.
Even though there are selfish reasons to market food, it is also important to look at places like Afghanistan and their poppy crops. Due to a steady decline in rain during the vital months, they have lost many crops that have helped to keep the people afloat (Parenti, 2015, p. 183). What they ended up turning to is a drought resistant crop that can be sold at a high price because of its use in the opium trade. The economy has pushed people to resort to this; the market exists and the people need it to for their survival. Which is not unlike creating the market to sell to people or finding ways to make a profit of normal human functions.
References
Kaufman, F. (July 2010). The Food Bubble: How Wall Street starved millions and got away with it. Harper’s Magazine, 27-34.
Parenti, C. (2015). Flower of War: An Environmental History of Opium Poppy in Afghanistan. The SAIS Review of International Affairs, 35(1), 183-200.
Robbins, R. (1999). Beef and Sugar. Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Allyn Bacon, 208-237.