Every time we go shopping, we make choices about food, farming, and the future. Agriculture has some of the highest external costs of anything we do, and the system is unsustainable. This has led to a rapidly growing interest in the true cost of food and agriculture. The profit and production of crops, meat, dairy, and other foods and food products has always waxed and waned in response to national and international events and market forces. The only consistent theme over the years has been a deterioration in ecosystem health, a decline in water supply, and ever worsening health problems of diabetes and obesity. Failed accounting is a major factor in the crises now emerging in our food supply system. The "lowest price at any cost" threatens future generations and the planet ecosystems.

True cost can help redirect energy and investment to sustainable systems with the best price for the highest quality.