[mschuster91]

> Are customers conditioned to cheap meat, or no meat?

To cheap and always available meat. Throughout history, a rise in wealth has been closely correlated with a rise in meat consumption (as seen e.g. in China, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/may/30/food.chi...).

> These customers surely live in a market economy, and understand that no matter how much they may bitch on Facebook, prices... Fluctuate..?

And politicians are highly afraid of the public bitching on food prices. Revolutions have often begun with a public pissed off about food prices!

> It's because they are afraid of being stuck with high wages after the labour shortage ends.

The never ending history of "corporate whining": http://leftycartoons.com/2009/09/04/a-brief-history-of-corpo...