An interesting and thought provoking article which brought to mind a quote from the great agrarian writer and poet Wendell Berry, 'By merely existing you deny some creature the right to life'. And so we as a retired couple do what we can to buy local and buy ethically. In our local small town there is a milk vending kiosk which sells whole milk from a nearby producer/dairy farmer. It is well supported. We buy most if not all our meat from local butchers who in turn source meat locally slaughtered. It costs slightly more but not much. My wife Jan bakes all her own bread with flour bought from a mill in the Cotswolds. We are fortunate to have a large garden and grow an abundance of veg and fruit when in season. Any surplus we share with our neighbours or feed it to the hens and sheep. These behaviours didn't surface overnight and yes it's by no means convenient but still gives an old couple a reason to get out and do something.
I love this, and thank you for sharing it. That Wendell Berry line is such a bracing reminder that none of us get to opt out of impact, we only get to choose how conscious and responsible we are with it.
What you and Jan have built is exactly what I mean by “small changes” becoming a way of life. The milk kiosk, local butchers sourcing locally slaughtered meat, bread from Cotswolds flour, growing what you can, sharing surplus, feeding scraps back to animals, it’s a whole little loop of care and locality. And I really appreciate you saying it didn’t happen overnight, because that’s the bit people miss.
Also, I love the last line. Doing this isn’t just about ethics, it’s about meaning and connection, a reason to get out, to be part of a place, to know the people who feed you. That matters more than we’re taught to admit.
Thanks Mallika, loved chatting too, and I’m really glad it is useful for your piece.
Total coincidence, I’d actually started drafting this post before we spoke, but our chat definitely gave me the nudge to finish it and sharpen the small changes framing.
Terrific article. I like the idea of small changes and doing what we can. It can be togh to talk about as I know people are struggling financially, but many people are not prioritizing healthy food because the costs are often hidden or delayed. Also, the cheap food is there to compare to when really a package of bacon for $2.50 shouldn't exist. We've come to expect cheap food while absorbing other costs like streaming services and take-out coffee. People are also more willing to pay for convenience and shifting more home cooked meals takes time and learning those skills. It's all so complext but I appreciate your suggestions to pick something to do more of and something to do less of and little by little, together, we will build a better food system!
Thank you, I really appreciate this, and yes, you’ve named the tension so well.
A lot of the true cost of “cheap” food is hidden or delayed, it shows up later in health, in environmental clean up, in hollowed out rural economies, and in farmers being squeezed. And you’re right, a $2.50 pack of bacon shouldn’t really exist if everyone in that chain was being paid fairly and the welfare and environmental costs were properly accounted for.
I also agree on convenience. It’s not just money, it’s time, skills, and sheer mental load, and that’s why I try to talk about small, realistic shifts rather than perfection. Pick one thing to do more of, one thing to do less of, and keep going. That’s how culture changes, slowly, together.
What I appreciate here is the honesty about constraints.
Many conversations about ethical food quietly assume unlimited time, money, and access. And when those assumptions collapse, the whole argument turns into a moral lecture rather than real change.
The part that stood out to me most is the idea that ethics is not just about shopping lists but about systems.
Food choices occur within structures that shape prices, access, labour, and land use. When those structures reward the cheapest possible calories? Then the burden of fixing the system quietly falls on individuals. And they have the least room to maneuver.
I also like the framing of repeatable change. Small, durable shifts tend to matter more than perfect but fragile ideals.
Over time those habits can slowly reconnect eaters, farmers, and landscapes in ways the industrial model tries to keep separate.
It makes me wonder whether the next step in this conversation is less about “perfect consumers” and more about rebuilding local food relationships again. I mean the real places where producers, communities, and health systems start aligning. And working hand in hand towards the same goal. Producing food that actually nourishes people and the land that grows it.
Daniel, thank you. That’s exactly what I was trying to do, make it genuinely useful, not just local is good in an ideal world where everyone has time, money, transport, and a farm shop round the corner.
Most of the time the world isn’t ideal. So the question becomes, what can we do that’s repeatable inside real constraints, and how do we change the structures so the burden isn’t dumped on individuals who have the least room to manoeuvre.
I really like your point about rebuilding local food relationships, not as a lifestyle badge, but as practical alignment between producers, communities, and health. That’s where this gets real.
Thanks for this read. Although I will admit as a vegetarian, I skimmed passed the meat section. But your article has made me pause and think. I do need to support local farmers more often. I do try to avoid big chain supermarkets, but I still go there for connivence when needed. Sigh. . At my local shop, I try to but local eggs, etc, but maybe I take a trip once a month like you suggested to the local farm shop. It's not that far- maybe 30mins drive and then I can fit it in with an outdoor activity. I will start once a month and then boil up from there. Thank you for making me think about this.
Thank you for reading, and for being so honest about how you approached it. Also, you’re not doing anything wrong here. Convenience is a real constraint, and the fact you’re already choosing local eggs and avoiding big chains when you can means you’re already practising this, not failing at it.
I love your plan, once a month is exactly the kind of repeatable habit that actually sticks, especially if you pair it with something you already want to do like an outdoor trip. And build up from there is the perfect mindset. Small, doable shifts add up over time, and even one regular purchase genuinely helps a farm.
Beautifully written and thought provoking article, Helen! I have quoted you in my upcoming piece about eyestalk ablation shrimp and prawn food systems.
We are what we eat. Now that I’ve retired I’ve gone back to the we my grandparents and mom cooked food from scratch. I feel healthier. Thank you for your article!
An interesting and thought provoking article which brought to mind a quote from the great agrarian writer and poet Wendell Berry, 'By merely existing you deny some creature the right to life'. And so we as a retired couple do what we can to buy local and buy ethically. In our local small town there is a milk vending kiosk which sells whole milk from a nearby producer/dairy farmer. It is well supported. We buy most if not all our meat from local butchers who in turn source meat locally slaughtered. It costs slightly more but not much. My wife Jan bakes all her own bread with flour bought from a mill in the Cotswolds. We are fortunate to have a large garden and grow an abundance of veg and fruit when in season. Any surplus we share with our neighbours or feed it to the hens and sheep. These behaviours didn't surface overnight and yes it's by no means convenient but still gives an old couple a reason to get out and do something.
I love this, and thank you for sharing it. That Wendell Berry line is such a bracing reminder that none of us get to opt out of impact, we only get to choose how conscious and responsible we are with it.
What you and Jan have built is exactly what I mean by “small changes” becoming a way of life. The milk kiosk, local butchers sourcing locally slaughtered meat, bread from Cotswolds flour, growing what you can, sharing surplus, feeding scraps back to animals, it’s a whole little loop of care and locality. And I really appreciate you saying it didn’t happen overnight, because that’s the bit people miss.
Also, I love the last line. Doing this isn’t just about ethics, it’s about meaning and connection, a reason to get out, to be part of a place, to know the people who feed you. That matters more than we’re taught to admit.
Thank you Helen.
Great to chat with you earlier this week and lots to think about for my piece! Love your suggestions of small changes here, big fan!
Thanks Mallika, loved chatting too, and I’m really glad it is useful for your piece.
Total coincidence, I’d actually started drafting this post before we spoke, but our chat definitely gave me the nudge to finish it and sharpen the small changes framing.
Speak soon!
Terrific article. I like the idea of small changes and doing what we can. It can be togh to talk about as I know people are struggling financially, but many people are not prioritizing healthy food because the costs are often hidden or delayed. Also, the cheap food is there to compare to when really a package of bacon for $2.50 shouldn't exist. We've come to expect cheap food while absorbing other costs like streaming services and take-out coffee. People are also more willing to pay for convenience and shifting more home cooked meals takes time and learning those skills. It's all so complext but I appreciate your suggestions to pick something to do more of and something to do less of and little by little, together, we will build a better food system!
Thank you, I really appreciate this, and yes, you’ve named the tension so well.
A lot of the true cost of “cheap” food is hidden or delayed, it shows up later in health, in environmental clean up, in hollowed out rural economies, and in farmers being squeezed. And you’re right, a $2.50 pack of bacon shouldn’t really exist if everyone in that chain was being paid fairly and the welfare and environmental costs were properly accounted for.
I also agree on convenience. It’s not just money, it’s time, skills, and sheer mental load, and that’s why I try to talk about small, realistic shifts rather than perfection. Pick one thing to do more of, one thing to do less of, and keep going. That’s how culture changes, slowly, together.
Absolutely. Thank you! :)
What I appreciate here is the honesty about constraints.
Many conversations about ethical food quietly assume unlimited time, money, and access. And when those assumptions collapse, the whole argument turns into a moral lecture rather than real change.
The part that stood out to me most is the idea that ethics is not just about shopping lists but about systems.
Food choices occur within structures that shape prices, access, labour, and land use. When those structures reward the cheapest possible calories? Then the burden of fixing the system quietly falls on individuals. And they have the least room to maneuver.
I also like the framing of repeatable change. Small, durable shifts tend to matter more than perfect but fragile ideals.
Over time those habits can slowly reconnect eaters, farmers, and landscapes in ways the industrial model tries to keep separate.
It makes me wonder whether the next step in this conversation is less about “perfect consumers” and more about rebuilding local food relationships again. I mean the real places where producers, communities, and health systems start aligning. And working hand in hand towards the same goal. Producing food that actually nourishes people and the land that grows it.
Daniel, thank you. That’s exactly what I was trying to do, make it genuinely useful, not just local is good in an ideal world where everyone has time, money, transport, and a farm shop round the corner.
Most of the time the world isn’t ideal. So the question becomes, what can we do that’s repeatable inside real constraints, and how do we change the structures so the burden isn’t dumped on individuals who have the least room to manoeuvre.
I really like your point about rebuilding local food relationships, not as a lifestyle badge, but as practical alignment between producers, communities, and health. That’s where this gets real.
Thanks for this read. Although I will admit as a vegetarian, I skimmed passed the meat section. But your article has made me pause and think. I do need to support local farmers more often. I do try to avoid big chain supermarkets, but I still go there for connivence when needed. Sigh. . At my local shop, I try to but local eggs, etc, but maybe I take a trip once a month like you suggested to the local farm shop. It's not that far- maybe 30mins drive and then I can fit it in with an outdoor activity. I will start once a month and then boil up from there. Thank you for making me think about this.
Thank you for reading, and for being so honest about how you approached it. Also, you’re not doing anything wrong here. Convenience is a real constraint, and the fact you’re already choosing local eggs and avoiding big chains when you can means you’re already practising this, not failing at it.
I love your plan, once a month is exactly the kind of repeatable habit that actually sticks, especially if you pair it with something you already want to do like an outdoor trip. And build up from there is the perfect mindset. Small, doable shifts add up over time, and even one regular purchase genuinely helps a farm.
Thank you. I appreciate that. I’m motivated and ready to shop local farm shops :-)
Beautifully written and thought provoking article, Helen! I have quoted you in my upcoming piece about eyestalk ablation shrimp and prawn food systems.
https://whywelfarematters.substack.com/p/whats-the-shrimpact?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3xhf9w
An excellent read but will it get read by the consumers who need to read it the most. Every reader of this article should restack.
Thanks for the feedback @Burhinus! Naturally I’m sharing this post beyond Substack but your help to spread the word is very much appreciated!
We are what we eat. Now that I’ve retired I’ve gone back to the we my grandparents and mom cooked food from scratch. I feel healthier. Thank you for your article!
That is a truly great way to live! Simple home cooked meals make such a difference to our health and our food systems!