¶ … Supply Push to Demand Pull: Agribusiness Strategies for Today's Consumers" by Martinez and Hayden discusses supply, demand and pricing of one of the most popular and common commodities available to man in modern society today ... food!
In this article the authors discuss the change in supply, demand and pricing of food products on the open market, specifically staples including meat products such as chicken, beef and pork. They discuss the trend agribusinesses are jumping on to provide consumers with fewer natural food products and more and more processed food products during the 20th century.
The article begins by summarizing the changes that have occurred in the supply and demand for food over the last two decades. According to the article, in times of old the food demanded from agribusiness suppliers were unprepared staples that individuals could cook in their own kitchens. This included products...
Consumers would even buy these products in bulk to store in their homes and cook as was necessary. According to the article, in the past demand for these products was high and sellers would bring their products, including even whole hogs and cattle to centralized terminals where people could purchase products. The price for these products was not necessarily high however, provided that the supply of fresh meat products from farmers was adequate to meet the demand.
This trend has changed however, and the price, supply and demand for whole foods has gone down relative to the supply, demand and pricing for processed foods. Why the change? Consumers in the 20th century are increasingly looking for short cuts, ways to make their lives easier in the high paced world they work in. One way they can do this is by purchasing meals that are pre-cooked or pre-prepared in advance. Packaged foods,…
