Quality for Quantity

Throughout the lecture this past Tuesday and the discussion on affordable food and the bad cycle that the industry has produced, I was struck with the thought that in some ways it all boils down to the quality versus quantity debate. It was said during class that cheap food is advertised more prevalently, but I think this cheap food is advertised as a quantity rather than a price. It is no longer just chicken nuggets for 4.99, it is a 20 piece bucket of chicken (emphasis on the 20-piece). It seems that a majority of America has decided to sacrifice the quality of their food for a larger quantity.

All of this makes sense when viewed through the lens of the affordable food movement of the 70’s, and the decreased wages for those working in the food industry. When families are forced to spend less money on food due to the fact that their salaries are smaller, it makes sense that they would rather spend 5 dollars on a bucket of chicken that can feed the whole family rather than a small appetizer that may be “healthier” for them.

Regardless of the stance one takes on the food movement, and food politics, I think that in many ways there has been the birth of a sub-culture. This sub-culture of foodies and organics may in essence become the new mainstream culture. Advertisements may begin stressing how healthy their food is without even discussing the price. Although this is a bad example, Subway has already started doing that. They advertise “fresh” ingredients and the ability to “eat right.” While seemingly all pop culture is subjective, this is one topic that everyone has an opinion on, and typically it is hard to sway them the other way.