One of the most common criticisms of sustainably farmed, carefully treated, and ethically sound food is that it’s too expensive. Side by side on a supermarket shelf, or column by column on a distributor’s price list, that’s definitely true.

It’s a challenge we all face, whether you’re a dad trying to feed your family responsibly, or a restaurateur trying to make your business viable yet socially conscious.

On the latter issue, I recently had the chance to speak with Marcos Georgiou, the international executive chef of Jamie’s Italian, one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant arms, which is slated to open in Hong Kong later this year.

Jamie Oliver is known for his commitment and passion for responsible food sourcing and healthy eating, but Jamie’s Italian has always been about affordability. Early reports say that main courses at the Hong Kong restaurant will be around the HK$200-300 mark – how is that possible?

Georgiou says, “The cost implication, I’m not going to lie to you, is hard… you’ve got to make money and be able to pay the bills and all that.” But from their high-volume, shoe-string approach (Georgiou remembers going to the office for the first time and finding nothing more than a tiny domestic kitchen for the whole Jamie Oliver empire), they’ve made it work in more than 30 cities.

For the average person, the decision-making process may be even harder. Everyone needs a basic amount of calories to survive, and the cheapest calories come from processed foods, especially those derived from genetically modified corn, soy and wheat. Next time you’re at a supermarket, find some of the cheapest foods and take a look at the list of ingredients. Chances are, the list will comprise mostly of products derived from corn, soy and wheat, such as corn syrup, which is devoid of nutrition but full of calories. These major crops are often heavily subsidised by governments, keeping their costs of production low, and are therefore attractive to food manufacturers.

Unfortunately, that low-ticket price on the shelf means there were costs elsewhere on the supply chain. Firstly, the subsidies came from taxpayers’ money, and then there’s the issue of what economists call “real costs” – the environmental and social impacts. These monoculture crops encourage chemical use and degrade soils, polluting waterways and robbing future generations of arable land. 

The issue is deep-set and complex, and I’m not saying we all need to devote our lives to clean eating like Jamie Oliver, but next time you find yourself standing in your local market or supermarket and wondering why sustainable food is so expensive, I’d encourage you to consider instead why “conventional” food is so cheap.