No.90, Friday, 6th. March 2026

I have guests for luncheon. That is a phrase I get to use rarely, which is a great shame, and one of the downsides of being on a low income. I have prepared a savoury table of ciabatta, cheeses, salami Napoli, deli coleslaw, olives, tomatoes, roasted peppers, salad and my very own potato salad that I shall prepare fresh for the occasion. I am looking forward to it – the food, the company and the conversation.

I freely admit I am a food snob. I love quality produce that is, as far as feasible, devoid of additives, fillers, colourings, pesticides, herbicides and all manner of other atrocities that assault much of the ‘food’ sold in supermarkets. We are told that chemicals and processing are what makes our supermarket food ‘cheap’. But it is only cheap at the point of purchase. The real cost is paid later – by the tax payer. So, for all you buyers of cheap food out there, it is me – the tax payer – that is subsidising it for you. That should make me angry, but I try to remain calm.

The real cost of cheap food is incalculable. For example, a truly wonderful free service provided by nature is the manufacture and maintenance of soil. But a combination of intensive monoculture and the application of monstrous quantities of chemicals, many of which do not occur in nature and which nature therefore has no ability to break down, is degrading soil to the point of destruction. Goodness knows what it is doing to our health and nervous system. Production of agricultural chemicals – by oil billionaires – is a very large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which is tampering with the carbon cycle, accelerating climate change and further eroding the ability of nature to maintain soil.

When will (some os us) ever learn? Buy cheap food now – pay the real price later.