It’s both. Costs decrease with scaled up production, but only if there’s demand for it. Otherwise crops are just wasted.
Plus, it’s not like 100% of crops go to humans in the first place. Harvests get graded, with the first few levels being for human consumption, and the last being for animal or industrial use.
It is much easier to increase output for crops than livestock. The reason meat is so cheap in the US is that the government uses taxes to subsidize it, and producers torture their animals to cut costs.
If you don’t have the market for it, scaling ends up with food waste.
And meat really isn’t cheap, relatively. At least good cuts. You could have a full vegan diet for less than the price of meat (per calorie), even before COVID.
Although, all that’s about to change since 1/3 of the planet’s fertilizer production was wiped out.
Economics of scale.
Nope, it’s taxpayer subsidies.
It’s both. Costs decrease with scaled up production, but only if there’s demand for it. Otherwise crops are just wasted.
Plus, it’s not like 100% of crops go to humans in the first place. Harvests get graded, with the first few levels being for human consumption, and the last being for animal or industrial use.
It is much easier to increase output for crops than livestock. The reason meat is so cheap in the US is that the government uses taxes to subsidize it, and producers torture their animals to cut costs.
If you don’t have the market for it, scaling ends up with food waste.
And meat really isn’t cheap, relatively. At least good cuts. You could have a full vegan diet for less than the price of meat (per calorie), even before COVID.
Although, all that’s about to change since 1/3 of the planet’s fertilizer production was wiped out.