“Food at the lowest price? Calculate correctly.”
Claim: What looks cheap in the store becomes expensive for society.
Why: Hidden costs (“externalities”) are passed on to taxpayers, nature, and future generations.
Major cost items:
- Nitrogen (mineral fertilizer): The EU’s hidden costs for nitrogen pollution are estimated at €70–320 billion/year (health, ecosystems, climate).
- PFAS and other “forever chemicals”: Health costs in EEA countries €52–84 billion/year; cleanup costs can be enormous.
- Production of mineral fertilizer (ammonia): ~450 Mt CO₂/year (direct) + ~170 Mt (indirect) globally.
- Pollinator decline (neonicotinoids, etc.): significant societal costs due to reduced crop pollination.
- The true cost of the food system: FAO estimates global “hidden costs” at USD 12.7 trillion/year (health + environment + climate).
What does that mean?
“Cheap” conventional food shifts costs to society: water purification, land degradation, climate, health.
Organic/regenerative may cost +20% on the shelf – but reduces these hidden costs (less fossil nitrogen, no neonicotinoids, stricter chemical principles, carbon sequestration, healthier soil).
Hasta Eco leads the way: intercropping, microbiome, biochar, circular fertilizers → nutrient-dense food without the hidden bill.
Sources (selection): FAO (True Cost), European Nitrogen Assessment/PBL/JRC, IEA Ammonia Roadmap, ChemSec/FT on PFAS, IPCC AR6 (soil carbon).
PFAS & chemicals in agricultural land
- PFAS in sewage sludge has been detected in Sweden; found in sludge, soil, crops, and earthworms. Spreading on agricultural land can lead to long-term contamination of soil and water.
- Health costs in EEA countries are estimated at €52–84 billion/year; societal cleanup is very costly.
- Organic/regenerative systems that do not use PFAS-related inputs reduce risk and future cleanup costs.
Message: Clean water and non-toxic cycles are cheaper in the long run than post-hoc remediation.