Having large numbers of people starve to death seems like a pretty damning indictment of a system. But I dunno, maybe I’m overly attached to food?

  • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Not to defend the profit above all model but excess food destruction is largely a misconception dating to the early COVID crisis.

    People spread alarmist headlines about farmers having to eliminate excess produce and byproduct,

    People immediately jumped to profit reasons but it was actually because of supply chain collapse leaving them unable to ship it off before they had new produce and byproduct to put into their own storage.

    Because at least in the US the rule for excess produce and byproduct is that the government buys it from you to put into cold storage for release whenever crops and production come up short due to a dry spell or a heat wave or just bad production that year.

    Just to nip another potential misinformed example in the bud to boot, farmers are not paid to fallow their fields for profit reasons either, it’s to allow the soil to rejuvenate to avoid another dust bowl happening.