Some of the questions that you put forward in considering declining produce consumption (i.e. about taste, availability, carbon-capture values) made me wonder if another aspect of this questions could be rooted in past experiences, or experiences of poverty.
My grama, who I spent most of my life living with, was notorious for overbuying on sales. She was open about that being because her experience in the Great Depression left her unsure of where supplies of any kind (especially food) would come from if not “now” — so she had a pantry and freezer full of food, but rarely ate fresh fruits or vegetables. Her economic decision of what to purchase was ingrained in historical, psychological experience of planning for disaster.
To use another example of how she would think: if I’m worried about my food budget, I might be more inclined to keep on hand an accessible supply of items purchased on case lot sale (i.e. canned goods) or items that would keep in a pantry, rather than fresh items that would spoil faster.
Which makes me wonder, is there a better way to link up fresh food to people who need it in a better form of short-term supply management than a food bank? How can we keep more food from being thrown away by retailers? Can this “unsellable surplus” get redistributed more efficiently?
I’d love to hear what others think!
