Our society does not cater to those that have allergies and thus restricted eating. This can be seen in a simple matter: they cost more. Often much, much more. I can get a box of normal, run-of-the-mill spaghetti from Wegman's for $0.99. The absolute cheapest I can get of gluten-free pasta is $2.79. The higher-quality ones, constructed to look and taste like normal pasta? Upwards of $3-4. I can get a bag of cheese ravioli for $2.79. Cheese and spinach gluten-free ravioli? $5.99. For sixteen ravioli. I kid you not.
I won't blame this on capitalism, or even some sort of conspiracy. The thing is, at some point I can understand why some of these are so pricey. Those who have very severe allergies cannot even have a trace of the allergen in their food without having a reaction. Thus, this requires companies to either only make that kind of food, or be extremely careful with their manufacturing so that no contamination occurs. One means limiting yourself to only one market, limiting sales; the other means more cost. Raising the price lets them make a profit while still providing this food. It makes sense from a business perspective.
And yet I can't help but feel a bit bad about it.
For those people who have severe allergies, it's not a matter of just being able to buy the other food if they can't afford it. They may die, get horribly sick, or have a nasty reaction. So what do they do? What if they are living below the poverty level (On that:
Spent, a game that sheds light into the difficulties of living on a low wage) and can't afford it? What do you do then?
I, at least right now, am not living below the poverty line, in theory anyway. I can afford, this once, to splurge on gluten-free things to see if it makes my stomach feel better. But I know I couldn't keep this up. Not at my income, and with my student loans. Even if I find out that gluten-free DOES make me feel better and is thus healthier for me? Wouldn't matter. I'd have to go back to gluten due to the simple fact that it's
cheaper.And what about other allergies? Soy? Hordes of things contain soy these days. Nuts? Manufacturers aren't necessarily completely careful about keeping nuts from contaminating various products, mostly baked goods. Dairy? Eggs?
In a world where unemployment is so high, and money is so hard to find, living with allergies may not actually be affordable. And that, to me, is a sobering thought, one that followed me as I spent $110 on groceries today. Without the gluten-free stuff, that easily could have been $60 or so. That makes a difference.
So what do you do? Companies need to make a profit or they can't provide the products. But they should be affordable, so the people who need them the most can actually get to them. It seems that the number of people with food allergies, or allergies in general, is on the rise. Could companies lower prices due to an increase in their consumer base? It's really the only thing I can think of. Which is quite unfortunate.
The pricing of food is tricky, and I certainly don't claim to be an expert. But I do wonder if we could make foods that are specialized -- vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, all of them -- cost less, so that they are more accessible to the people who need them.
Just some thoughts and musings I've had today. BTW those $6 ravioli? Not worth it. At all.
Tschuess.
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