Many people in Colombia are distressed by the rise in prices in some places, the markets have become more expensive to the point that the money is not enough for what we used to eat. Especially products of animal origin rose, which have a high cost per pound, feeding a Colombian family with precarious wages is impossible.
It is important to emphasize that most of the food that is wasted in this country is fruits and vegetables. This is due to an aggressive advertising campaign in the traditional media, perpetrated by the large federations that have the cattle, poultry and dairy business. The other products in the family basket, especially those that do not contain animals, are not as widely consumed, in the same way, they do not have such a high price.
This has always been a concern around the world, many people turn away from plant-based diets thinking that they are inaccessible and that they have a great cost. In fact, when shopping it is evident that products that are not processed, such as fruits, vegetables and grains, are easily accessible for most people.
And this is a phenomenon that not only occurs in Colombia; Due to the pandemic, world food prices rose excessively, there was a lot of fear regarding exports, transport restrictions and in some parts speculation on costs.
In Colombia, the unemployment situation generated great uncertainty in the population, although there was never a real shortage, it is known that some merchants took advantage of the situation to speculate on prices. This causes the final cost of all products to rise indiscriminately, unfortunately there is no one to regulate this.
Having a plant-based diet can have the same or less cost than an omnivorous diet, since it all depends on the products that are bought in the market. If only luxury products are sought, it is evident that the investment increases. The best thing to do is to buy a very varied diet of fruits and vegetables, good sources of protein such as textured soy that can be priced at $ 2 per kilo and is much more efficient when hydrated.
Information about the prices of various vegan foods.
One of the ways to increase economic growth in countries at this time is to support producers, the more variety, the better. Therefore, if possible, the immediate sources of food production should be sought. In Colombia every day it is easier to have a direct line with the farmers, thanks to the internet. On pages like Soy Campesino, it is possible to find a large number of producers who offer their products at fair prices, thus eliminating speculation and upswing.
Information on Sumercé and Soy Campesino
It is possible to lower the cost of the family basket by not including meat, eggs and dairy. Recognized newspapers in Colombia, such as La República and El Espectador, have touched on this topic and have published the true costs of a plant-based diet. In such a diverse country, it is a great privilege to have access to hundreds of varieties, which make the quality of life for humans and animals much better.
So veganism can help other causes as well, farmers who are engaged in other businesses that do not require the exploitation of animals, local economies, it saves many more lives than you might think.
The most important thing is to continue taking care of the animals, eliminating the traditional food and market systems, it can only bring us benefits. It is imperative to change the model we are using in our daily lives, small steps can lead to big results.
