I was moseying around my local German discounter on Sunday where I go to buy detergents, toiletries and non-fresh food items. As the TV ads tell us, they really do offer huge savings. But I do make a point of avoiding the meat, dairy, fruit and vegetable aisles unless I absolutely must, as I feel a sense of loyalty to farmers. I meet enough of them who tell me they are under pressure to produce the best for lower prices which is being facilitated by the supermarket price war race to the bottom.

Respect for food

I appreciate that the low-priced produce is produced locally by the aforementioned hard-working farmers but I also feel strongly about how we as a society have lost so much respect for the preciousness of fresh food and the discounter shopping mentality underlines this. So I’ll pay the few quid more in the butcher or fishmonger instead when I can.

We have become programmed to spend a fraction of our weekly disposable income on food when compared with 30 years ago. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, retailers are competing head-to-head for footfall, which has led to the “two for the price of one” gimmick which served to devalue food in every way. Secondly, we don’t have time to cook and maybe in some cases don’t know how to cook. It is why we are buying more processed food, more ready-to-go and easily prepared meals. My butcher laughed when I asked him about the traditional Sunday roast. “It’s a dish of the past,” he said. It could be because of the cost or more probably the time it takes to prepare. Thirdly, our diets are changing. Fourthly, people simply choose to buy cheaper food.

Squeezed incomes

And fifthly and most significantly, the reason we spend less on food is because we are under more financial pressure. Shopping for fresh, locally produced food is a luxury for many. Mortgage, rent, car tax, insurance, crèche fees and keeping the house warm are just some of the monthly bills which are mandatory and unavoidable.

That is nothing new, but in 2019 even for those earning a good wage, after those bills are deducted, there isn’t an awful lot of money to play around with. That is how times have changed when you factor in the 21st century cost of living.

Of course, we must eat too, but even if you want to eat well, price is going to trump provenance for more and more younger parents on a tight budget.

We’ve moved another generation away from the land where more of us have less of an appreciation of the time and dedication that goes into producing quality, safe food.

But even the offspring of farmers, who do appreciate what it takes to produce milk, meat, grain, fruit and vegetables, are scrimping and saving to buy a house in Dublin while paying €1,500 or more a month in rent.

The huge irony is that during the time it took for the climate change penny to drop, we were losing all respect for the value of locally produced food while Irish fruit and vegetable growers were forced out of business thanks to our desire for cheaper and out-of-season imports. Yet now in the climate emergency, it’s the local Irish dairy and beef farmers who are taking the bulk of the blame.