The Cost of a Meal
June 22nd, 2023
The Cost of a Meal
STAYING TRUE TO OUR CORE VALUE OF EMBRACING TRANSPARENCY, OUR CEO BRONWEN SHARES WHAT A JUST FARE workplace MEAL TRULY COSTS.
We love this topic and haven’t addressed it since 2020 so it's that time again! I have spent the better part of my career in food making a point to educate folks on the cost of ‘good’ food - where good is defined as food that supports a healthy planet, the health of those that eat it, and healthy working conditions for those who make it.
We have been conditioned to undervalue what I’m referring to as ‘good’ food in America as it’s become cheaper to produce low-nutrient, highly processed, non-organic foods via factory farming, uneven government subsidies, monoculture cropping and illegal labor practices to the point that we spend one of the lowest percentages of our income on food in the world. There is a hidden cost - often referred to as the true cost of food, which has been well documented - to supporting cheap food, largely relating to the degradation of our climate and continued marginalization of BIPOC communities.
The solution has always seemed relatively simple to me (though trust me, I know it isn’t): we need to pay more for food to support a just and equitable society. And so, in support of our mission to build a just world where food is a force for social change, Just Fare’s meals may cost a bit more than your average caterer. This allows us to bring our customers truly good food (that tastes amazing, too, because what good is all this work if it doesn't taste delicious). So where exactly does the money you spend go to when you’re buying a meal made by Just Fare? I’m thrilled to update this fun graphic with our costs in 2023:
Some more specifics here, particularly as you compare these with our 2020 costs. It should come as little surprise to anyone who buys eggs at the grocery store that the cost of food has gone up over the past three years for a variety of reasons linked somewhat to the pandemic - and Just Fare is not immune. The cost (and availability) of organic foods have particularly been impacted but we have not wavered in our commitment to supporting the local, organic food economy. Our purchasing geniuses (i.e. our chefs) have managed to keep the overall food cost increase at an impressive 3% since 2020. Food still makes up a big chunk of the cost that goes into a Fare meal, though.
As in 2020, we remain committed to our people and providing a living wage and full benefits: this contributes to over half the overall cost of a Just Fare meal. There are the typical expenses needed to run any business as well, including leases, transport vehicles, software, and legal. And lastly, we need to be profitable in order to reinvest in the growth of our business (such as people and benefits, technology, facilities and much more) and maintain a healthy cash position that allows us to endure fluctuations in the market - so there’s that baked into the cost of a meal as well.
What is really different about any work in hospitality, as opposed to many other industries, is that we require a LOT of inputs to get our products out the door and to our customer - it’s not a simple business by any means. But we love it and believe that we can have a positive impact on the world if we remain steadfast in our commitment to our values. This is what allows us to deliver a truly good meal to our customers, and what “Tastes good, does good” means to us.
Have more questions? I can tell you even more about how prioritizing our spending on good food and people can have an outsized impact on our society. As always, I’d love to take you to lunch - my treat! bronwen@justfare.co.
xo
Bronwen