[impostergc]

By essentially free, you mean easily attainable, but not "free" in the economic sense of costing nothing?

[Robotbeat]

Even oxygen has a cost from the pedantic point of view.

[umanwizard]

I can't understand in what sense you mean. Oxygen is so widespread in the environment that nobody has to expend any energy or resources to produce it, it is just there. Unlike food.

(This comment is not meant to argue for or against the position that food should be provided by the State. I'm just trying to understand what you mean.)