Is sustainable food elitist?
No. Sustainable food often costs more than its conventional counterpart, but that does not make it elitist. Its expense is more often the result of high demand than high production costs, as many crops can be grown organically for less than under input-intensive conventional methods. Elitism is advocacy of or reliance on the leadership and dominance of an elite—the high-ranking members of a society. Sustainable food advocates for, relies on, and supports working farmers and ranchers. It promotes the health both of the people who consume it, and of the natural resources upon which all rely. The conventional, industrial food system does not promote human or environmental health and, more often than not, it relies on and supports a relatively small number of people and organizations who profit from it. What we, as a society, deem necessary, vital, and worth paying for, is surprisingly fluid and dynamic. In the last ten years we have collectively added cell phone bills and cable bills into
