As if Bolivia wasn’t troubled enough as one of South America’s only two landlocked countries, now it has a whole new problem with the onset of veganism. If you know a vegan or vegetarian, the odds are that you have heard of a strange little plant called quinoa.
Quinoa is a plant often mistaken as a grain, but it is nothing of the sort. Related to the beet, it has been hailed as a superfood because it is so rich in protein. All this is good and well because we know how nutrient-deficient vegans are. And in fact, this should also be good and well for the Bolivians because this superfood is only found in the Andes. In theory, exports of this crop should bring a new source of income to the poor Bolivian economy.
Unfortunately, these bloodthirsty (not animal blood) vegans can’t be sated by just supplementing their food with quinoa. Their demand of this superfood has driven the price of quinoa so high that the poor Bolivian people who rely upon this food can’t even afford it. Keep in mind, these are people who would eat meat if they had the choice. Vegans, on the other hand, do have a choice. They could eat meat, but choose instead to eat quinoa. And that choice has lead to malnourishment for the Bolivians. When the prices of quinoa are too high, they turn to rice and white bread, which are quite lacking in nutrients. Sure, some of this has to do with taste, but the cost of quinoa these days certainly doesn’t help.
So, vegans, is it worth giving up meat at the expense of the health of people in Bolivia? I don’t know about you, but the exploitation of people in a third world South American country just doesn’t seem worth it to me.
(via New York Times and DCo1)
Exactly vegans incessantly care about animals but they dont care about poor starving children!!! You vegans should burn in hell!!!!!!!!
Body builders eat quinoa because of it’s high protien content, quinoa is also found in store bought bird feed. I don’t see how vegans are soley to blame for this issue if at all.
Before quinoa came along, vegans and non-vegans alike have been exploiting third world nations to the point of poverty and malnutrition for grains, for beef-feed or as their own feed ie rice, porridge etc. No need to blame vegans; people have been exploiting under privileged countries for centuries.
Hi I am from Bolivia. All that said here are lies. Here are a lot of quinoa is cheap, when we export price went up but the population remains the same. A major government policies is food sovereignty, therefore only excess is exported. Here are also vegan, but by nature and culture, it is true there is a margin of malnutrition but it is for countries like usa, previously required us to purchase all products and seeds, and Monsanto is a pest in this world. We are now released and many animals are free here. Do not lie just because it is a country that is far from you. Here is a dignified country