Feeling guilty, yet?
A little over a week ago, most
Americans were getting up from their Thanksgiving dinner table, surrounded by
friends and family, perfectly sated by a terrific meal. In this instance, gorging ourselves on
turkey, ham, vegetables, and dessert was an example of “giving thanks” for our
bounty. In another context, however,
let’s ask if you, at any moment during the feast, thought of those less
fortunate who had little or no food at all?
Food is a topic fraught with
emotional levels that cannot be summarized in one paragraph or analysis. Food is a necessity of life, acknowledged to
be a human “right” by most. Not having a
car, for example, might be an inconvenience; not having enough food to eat can be fatal. Nearly one third of the world’s population
experiences hunger or food shortages at some point, according to United Nations
studies. To classify food as one might
any other commodity is a cruel offense that is unacceptable.
But how does one reconcile the
difference between one person’s excesses and another’s suffering? Too often we fall victim to a lack of
introspection, direction, and compassion from our leaders. Forging a solidarity with those less
fortunate is simply a matter of empathy, not something about which you
should feel ashamed or in some way put upon.
Yes, your pleasures are your right, too.
After all, how does your meal really take something away from someone else?
And why should you care?
Curiously, the pandemic exacerbated
this conundrum by nearly closing the entire hospitality/food industry. What once was an extravagance (dining out)
became as rare for the well-off as for those who wouldn’t/couldn’t consider it
anyway. In both instances the super-rich
and the indigent became communally marginalized by scarcity.
Finding the link
The burden of solving poverty and
starvation doesn’t fall on just one person.
Hunger is a systemic global issue.
It is also a moral issue, one which requires willpower of the many to
overcome obstacles imposed upon a few.
It is not a sin for you to enjoy your caviar every once in a while. But what do we owe to others who are bereft
of such luxuries?
ArlingtonEconometrics,
my proprietary research model and database, has spent decades in search of
investment possibilities related to these subjects. As recently as 2017, we constructed a Global
Food and Agriculture model portfolio, consisting of over 50 publicly traded
entities, whose efforts to explain issues related to farming, production,
delivery, and sale of agricultural products were vital to their
businesses. The “bench” is quite deep,
as more companies come online looking at macrobiotics, hydroponics, ecology
(climate), and geography. Our
watch list consists of corporations with accelerating earnings and expanding
profit margins. As the markets recoil
with uncertainty we have to adjust our risk tolerances commensurate to market
activity and data. Thus, we are always seeking
to complement our portfolios with “silo-specific” opportunities that also do
good for society as a whole.
The global food and hunger dilemma’s significance
is incontrovertible. Beating the broad
market averages is a fine goal, but we prefer to make money for our clients by finding
earnings potential in sustainable themes.
Above all, relevance and resilience creates demand for shares, technologies, and industries
when markets turn uncertain or disjointed, as they are now.
Foregoing a night out of dining may
mean you save a few dollars…and perhaps a bloated belly and a hangover!! But working towards a world in which everyone
shares the same “right” to eat still allows for your indulgences without
denying the privilege from anyone else.
It may sound burdensome….or perhaps trite…..but wrestling with socially
responsible generational change (whether in the financial markets or the
societal landscape) is not a 9 to 5 job but, rather, a full time exercise. I think we’re up for the task.
