Carne para todos! Seriously?

[Ashley]

Is it just me or is anyone else getting more than a little irked at the sudden appearance of those "carne para todos" vehicles?
I get that its the week before the elections but it is infuriating to me just how many positive comments I'm hearing about the prices of meat that the CPT trucks are offering and the discount in vegetables that one can acquire at those government subsidized ferias that you have to go and queue up at at 7 o clock in the morning!
If the Argentine govt was really that interested in feeding its population, surely it'd implement tighter controls over the supermarkets and other middlemen that sell their goods at European prices, rather than expect us to jump excitedly at the sight of a stinky, soviet-esque food truck!
I think i've been fairly tolerant of inflation and all the other c**p that's been going on over the past couple of months, but this just feels like an insult to my intelligence.
How does everyone else feel?

 

[Joe]

It would be nice to see more farmer's markets where producers can sell their products direct without having to deal with middle men or government controls.

 

[Ashley]

There have been quite a few organic-type places opening up over the past few years (including a lot of online farmers markets that sell direct to consumers). But again, the prices are just inaccessibly high to a lot of people (much more so than the supermarkets in most cases). This is why I think more across-the-board price controls are needed to protect consumers. If someone can get away with making 500% profit at everyone else's expense, they will...be it the middle man or the producer. But dealing with it by creating a pre-election perk rather than addressing the problem seems pretty disgusting to me, especially when it comes to something so fundamental like access to reasonably priced food!

 

[pez]

Has anyone tried the online farmers markets that Ashley mentions? Any tips for which ones are good?

 

[ndcj]

If the Argentine govt was really that interested in feeding its population, surely it'd implement tighter controls over the supermarkets and other middlemen that sell their goods at European prices, rather than expect us to jump excitedly at the sight of a stinky, soviet-esque food truck!

There is, of course, something every one of us can do. Stop buying from Disco, Coto, Carrefour, etc and start buying locally. Buy all your meat at the local carniceria, buy all your vegetables at the verduleria and buy whatever's left over at your local chino.

If enough people to do it, and keep doing it, and watch what happens to the rip off prices the large chains charge. You'll save money, eat better and fresher, reduce waste and support your local community rather than your corporate overlords in Chile (Jumbo, Disco), France (Carrefour) and the US (Walmart).

 

[Ashley]

I agree...on everything but the local chino! I buy all our vegetables, cheese, meat, etc from local shops (not that its any cheaper than the supermarkets but what choice is there...at least you're not feeding such a giant machine I suppose). The prices at our local chino's have gone up now way beyond the big supermarket giants so I only use them for wine (still the cheapest supplier around, I find). Everything else (soy burgers, pasta, oil, tomato puree etc), I try to search around for the cheapest deal. It's just so frustrating that there is so little choice available so you're forced to pay through the teeth for everything. We were shocked the other day in Tigre to find pecans being sold everywhere for almost 50% more than what I pay for them in London...and they're harvested in the Delta!

 

[ndcj]

Most expats are in the most expensive parts of Buenos Aires. Just the same as you pay a hefty premium on basic goods in other big cities when you live in the most affluent of areas, you do so here.

Elsewhere things are not nearly as expensive and "inflation" isn't affecting staples to nearly the same degree. I was in Palermo yesterday and stopped by a supermarket to pick up a few things and I was amazed at the difference in prices compared to our local kiosco.

Also, there's a big element of profiteering involved in any inflationary economy.

 

[Ashley]

Where abouts do you live?
I'm in the arse-end of Chacarita. I'm pretty sure I'm only one of maybe a handful of expats in the area and the prices here are just as bad as Palermo...if not worse in some cases.
I work in Caballito and see much the same there and in Flores too.

 

[ndcj]

Where abouts do you live?
I'm in the arse-end of Chacarita. I'm pretty sure I'm only one of maybe a handful of expats in the area and the prices here are just as bad as Palermo...if not worse in some cases.
I work in Caballito and see much the same there and in Flores too.

I live in La Plata. A lot of things are a good bit cheaper here, especially the basics, though of course it depends where you shop.

 

[mcaffa]

Elsewhere things are not nearly as expensive and "inflation" isn't affecting staples to nearly the same degree.

I beg to differ. I live out in the GBA boonies and the prices in my area are similar to those in Palermo, Belgrano, etc.