Exactly. It’s a civilizational issue rather than economical.
Discussion
People mock the vegans (or their twins, the carnivores), but they've clearly caught on to the Excessive Surplus Problem and are finding ways to deal with the glut of food, by being more exacting in what they eat.
I sort of do the same, by reintroducing the fasting calendar. We keep doubling-down on it, but I think it's just our way of reducing our choices in What To Eat Today down to a smaller and smaller set of options.
As in, "Today is Friday. On Fridays, I eat fish. Perhaps I should also eat fish on Wednesdays, like in the bygone era. And roast only on Sundays..."
I used to wonder about the fasting calendar. So many rules and traditions, and everything so exacting and finicky, but now it makes more sense to me. It's a way of dealing with both surplus and deficit.
If there is too much food, you limit yourself by using the calendar.
If there is not enough food, on a regular basis, you train yourself to tolerate a poor diet, even when food is plentiful.
And those are just the pragmatic side effects. It's good for our bodies as well as our souls.
On average, Catholics should generally avoid becoming obese just by observing the Lenten fast, and perhaps Advent as well.
Need the Advent fast, and the Embertides. That's when we all stuff our faces, the most.