Milk: something else to worry about
I was directed to an Ethicurean article about the milk crisis by Jay’s blog at The Linkery in San Diego. It is a quick and very informative read – go ahead, I’ll wait.
Image from scapbookershaven.com
OK, you’re back? Great. Did you even know we have a milk crisis? Probably not, unless it is your business to know that sort of thing. We take for granted the availability of dairy on our store shelves at reasonable prices. We also take for granted the FDA’s role in regulating food safety. The Ethicurean points out some holes in our faith.
The article skims over the issue of milk prices, mentioning the technical detail involved and providing some links. To me the details are fascinating. For about 70 years, one factor in the price of milk was the distance of the producing cow from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. No joke. The bottom line is that in a nation that celebrates the free market economy, milk is traded in one of the most manipulated markets on earth. Thus this staple of western civilizaion is sold for half of what it takes to produce it. And that, my friends, is not sustainable.