In social economics it is common to hear the phrase, hidden cost. “Hidden cost” refers to an expense not included in the price of a product or service. As far as I understand, these hidden costs suggest that someone or something is exploited to make the final product affordable. Two common examples come to mind: one, clothing made by child workers. Yes, the t-shirts are $2 but who is underpaid or uninsured to make the price possible? In the context of food, non-organic produce is another good example. Why are strawberries at the farmers market more expensive than those at the store? The price difference refers to the growing method employed by the farmer and the extra work required for organic berries. The conventional berry is grown with pesticides to kill bugs, while the organic berry is grown without such chemicals (and more berries are lost to insects.) Consequently, the stream near the berry farm is polluted with these chemicals. Pollution is one of the hidden costs behind the cheap strawberry.
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