True Pricing: the actual price and value of Dutch shellfish including climate

With the Paris Climate agreement and EU Green Deal there is more focus on climate impact by human beings than ever before. However, how to stimulate producers and consumers into more sustainable choices to reduce green house gas emissions and other climate impacts? True pricing is one of the methods to stimulate the way to more sustainable food systems. Government, enterprises and science do have a growing attention for true pricing. True pricing strives to include all external (often hidden) costs that are not currently incorporated in consumer prices. For instance, hidden costs like slavery, CO2 emissions, scarce fresh water usage, acidification, loss of biodiversity etcetera. For the Dutch aquaculture of mussel production true price has been calculated. Next to negative impacts (societal or climate costs) there could also be positive contributions. Often these positive contributions are known as true value. In the case of mussels, CO2 could be sequestrated in their shelve and nitrogen and phosphor (often eutrophication of fertilizer via rivers) could be bind by the mussel and therefore marine waters are purified. Another ecosystem service of mussels is coastal protection against floods. Or increasing the biodiversity as mussels attract other species to marine waters. These ecosystem services could be monetized into true values. Producers and consumers could be stimulated to choice those products with the lowest true price and there minimal footprint.

Author(s): Geert Hoekstra

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