Steep food price increases on way: experts

Steep food price increases on way: experts

news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. food prices will rise by at least 7 percent in 2009 because of higher feed costs for chickens, hogs and cattle, said a group of food-industry economists on Thursday.

It would be the third year in a row that food prices rose faster than the overall U.S. inflation rate. Food inflation is the highest since 1990.

"The sizable increase in the cost of producing food has not been fully passed on to the consumer," said private consultant Bill Lapp. He foresaw food inflation of 7 percent-9 percent in 2009.

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Anyone getting a 7% raise this year?
I am absolutely amazed at the inflation of food and deeply concerned about this new "msn" article. We are a family of 5 and it is and has been a constant struggle for the last year and a half to balance the rising energy costs (including electric) and the unbelievable rise in grocery cost. We have nothing left over at the end of the month and we are trying our hardest not to have to resort to living off credit to get by. Savings? Forget about it.
Even with gas prices going down we will be playing catch up until they inevitably and fraudulently go back up. We clip coupons, buy generic and have a budget but putting groceries on the table is hard now more price increases with a tanking dollar, high unemployment and incomes going down not up is terrifying.
Fresh chicken is already sky high and is almost a luxury in my house, it is much cheaper to buy already cooked processed and usually fried which lacks the nutrients and has added chemicals.
Pretty soon we will only be able to afford little debbie snacks and chef boyardee which disgusts me, I want my family to be healthy and have fresh vegetables and meats but at the rate of inflation we are having a harder time budgeting the good stuff in and still having enough to feed everyone.



news.yahoo.com
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This is what happens when you convert your food supply to fuel. The rush to ethanol pushed the price of corn to record highs, causing livestock farmers to have to sell off their herds because they can't afford to feed them. This trend is starting to slacken some, but unfortunately, when food prices go up, they rarely go back down.
I feel for you, trying to feed a family healthy meals on a restrictive budget. We can only hope our new president will be able to follow through on his promises with out breaking the country.

Recently we have been talking about obesity and the dangers of food on this forum. It got me thinking about Government subsidies, food stamps, wic, etc. and how these programs contribute to the deteriorating health of this country.
I came across this article that I think sums it up when it comes to food stamps, nutrition and obesity:

There is another side to the story. In Shelby County, 178,000 people get food stamps. According to the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS), the average allotment for recipients is $96.69 a month or $22.47 for one week. Local DHS counselors say monthly payments range from less than $50 to over $1,000 for a single mother with 10 children. An impoverished single person with no income or housing, for example, would get $155 a month in food stamps, but, earned income, welfare, and other assistance typically reduce that amount. All told, Shelby Countians received more than $18 million in food stamps for the month of April.

A $22 budget does not lend itself to healthy eating. Just the opposite appears to be true, which helps account for the presence of cities with large percentages of poor people on those "fattest city" lists.

"Most food stamp recipients seem to purchase high-starch foods and high-fat foods that are less perishable than fresh fruits and vegetables," says Sandra Shivers, head of the Tennessee Nutrition and Consumer Education Program at the University of Tennessee. "However, less healthful food choices in the long term tend to cause increases in weight rather than weight loss. It is difficult to make healthful food choices on a limited budget."

"Once upon a time, the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour was supposed to be sufficient to keep a person off food stamps," says Dobbs.

That is no longer the case. Even the $10 an hour "living wage" approved last week by the Shelby County Commission would still make some people eligible for food stamp assistance. For a family of three, the food stamp threshold is a monthly gross income of $1,799, which is slightly more than the $1,600 a month a person would earn working 40 hours a week at $10 an hour.

link

We are not on food stamps because we earn too much but this story is comparable to our situation. Buying foods that last longer and go farther tend to be foods that will cause obesity and health concerns.
That old saying "You get what you pay for" goes a long way in this situation, at prices sky rocketing on a basic need we are going to be paying for a national health crisis.
Obesity, heart attacks, coronary, cancer, diabetes etc seem to be pretty cheap in this country, I guess thats what we pay for.
When the choice to live a healthy life comes down to the almighty dollar, when the line gets drawn between rich and poor, when our life expectancy start to drop where will we be?


[edit on 8-11-2008 by SEEWHATUDO]

already starting to see the price increases...pet food up $2, veggies up 30c, breads up 25-68c, rice up 65c...

The speculators are going to get rich now on food. They're done milking us for oil. They got busted. Now it's food. Don' kid yourself, agricultural technology and the industry itself is capable of supporting every living person on this planet. It has been so and continues to be so. Every shortfall is either engineered or fabricated for profit. Things never change. Because THEY never go hungry.

reply to post by Maxmars

The speculators are going to get rich now on food. They're done milking us for oil. They got busted. Now it's food. Don' kid yourself, agricultural technology and the industry itself is capable of supporting every living person on this planet. It has been so and continues to be so. Every shortfall is either engineered or fabricated for profit. Things never change. Because THEY never go hungry.

You hit the nail on the head on that one Max, I guess now that gas is going down, let's stick it to the people another way, not to mention my light bill is gone threw the roof...................

Go to your local Panera Bread about an hour after closing time. Look in the dumpster. You will find loads of bread / bagels / pastries. Most of the time they'll be bagged nicely, away from any trash.
Keep these wrapped up and frozen and they'll stay good for at least a couple months. I'm sure this could help with some of your regular food costs.
There will probably be extra.. so give it to some friends / neighbors!

My owner got me a 50 pound bag of kibble and bits and a fresh box of dog biscuits so I'm not worried.

Now if he would only refresh my rawhide bone supply I'd be set.

[edit on 8-11-2008 by grover]

That’s a load of bull. Corn prices have dropped along with oil. The US had a record harvest this year and huge supplies of grain loading up the silos. Check it out for your self... It’s just that they (Feed Stores) can charge what they want and what they can hope to get…

Corn Quote

Monthly Corn prices chart