Food Prices: Just a Heads Up!

The UK is feeling pretty grim right now.
Food prices have almost doubled in 12 months while the manufacturers have begun palming off inferior quality products.

Fuel prices are incredible. a litre of petrol is £1.50 which is about £6.80 a gallon!!

That's over $10 a gallon!!

Please don't get me started on domestic fuel!. My gas bill alone last year was £3,000 last year and I live on my own.
We officially call this "fuel poverty". This is when your fuel is more than 10% of your income.

For a country that has to import a large percentage of it's food, the UK is very vulnerable.
House prices are out of reach for first time buyers, rented accommodation is being hiked up despite many new, empty developments lying around.

Low interest loans are difficult to aquire while loan-shark companies continue to thrive, preying on the poor.

Just had two colleagues laid off from my dept of ten. One of them was commuting 50 miles every day for a job that paid less than the national average. When I describe "Occupy Wall St" to my colleagues, they treat me like I'm crazy!
We've had an almost complete news blackout for the last four weeks. Most of the UK is unaware of what is happening to them.

This is the island mentality we have to overcome.

Rather than telling us about the world's real problems, we are being spoon-fed mass-media non-stories about our defence secretary Liam Fox and his "special friendship"

Just heard today on NPR about peanut butter. Within the next month will increase minimum 30% on average 40%. They also added peanut butter consumption has increase 10% in the last 12 months, as families substitute for its protein content.

Oldshooter, better stock up, soon!

Forgot to add why. The growing season in Texas, Georgia and US Southeast, primary growing regions for peanuts, has had terrible rains in the spring of the season, and excruciating drought every since.

reply to post by lostjohnny

We here in the states feel your pain. Go to college for four plus years and maybe get a job making $10.00/ hour?
Pay rent or house payment add in Elect. then water, phone/internet and then food! Lets not forget transportation to and from work!!! Oh how about student loans? I know internet may not be important, but you have to enjoy something in life, $30 a month for internet is something

The OP is right. I've been buying about an extra $100.00 a month to build up a supply of food. Not because I believe in conspiracy. Only for the practical reasons that inflation is in fact happening and we have food manipulation pricing and natural disasters contributing.

Totally with you OP. Good post and hopefully others take heed. There is no reason to go berzerk. However, I would advise everyone to stock up a bit. Just enough for about three months at least.

Walmart has raised the egg price 40 cents. I usually pay 4.08 per 2 doz. yesterday it was 4.48 for same 2 doz. In the last week the price has really jumped.

Got the extra peanut butter today. And since apples are in season bought two different kinds in a fairly large quanity. Borrowing a dehydrator, will be freezing some, will make applebutter and can seal that. Right now apples are the only thing left "in season". Getting produce in season is slightly cheaper and at its peak of flavor and nutrition. Buying local where possible.
One thing that worries my right now, is it hasn't gotten cold enough for the kerosene heaters to be brought out. Watching what the starter prices are gonna be for the fuel on those heaters. We turn down the natural gas furnace, cause the rates are absolutely outrageous!
And getting out the cookbooks to learn to use dried beans, pastas, and some garden yields. I have to bring myself over the reluctance to eat squashes and pumpkin. Baking and freezing those excesses too. Our poor little freezer is getting cramped, so I will make a list of contents with their dates so I know whats on the bottom. Marking them off as we use them.
I did luck up on an Amish market the next county over. Found dehydrated celery and green and red peppers way reasonable prices. They also had onion soup mix that can make cup o soup, season meatloaf, and make dip mix with. They had dried minced garlic and cilantro, less than a dollar! In huge quantities. So will portion off and freeze what I don't think I can use within a month or two.

What other economic food ideas do others use?

reply to post by sheepslayer247


This may or may not apply to your information, but this thread is the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw this article..

Wholesale U.S. Prices Rise More Than Forecast

Wholesale prices in the U.S. rose more than forecast in September, boosted by gasoline, food and trucks, indicating inflationary pressures continue to bubble up the production line.
The producer price index climbed 0.8 percent, the most in five months, after no change in August, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. Economists projected a 0.2 percent gain, according to the median of 71 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The so-called core measure, which excludes volatile food and energy, gained 0.2 percent, also more than predicted.

Posting this in case it's related

reply to post by SunflowerStar

Wow Sunflower, you certainly put me to shame. I slowed this month on food storage and focused on insulation. We are insulating our crawl space in hopes that will help keep the heat in. May I ask the name of the cookbook (s) that you are using.The newer books seem contemporary but I am looking for a book like my Grandma would have used.

reply to post by JacKatMtn
I saw this report this morning, it made me feel dread. I often wonder if the majority of shopper can actually recognize that is happening. To me that is quite a jump and should be a red flag.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Thanks for adding some info.

I keep receiving updates on the market and forecasts daily and it doesn't look very good. I am not a fear monger, but I think the time has come to be vigilant and proactive. Things are about to get real nasty unless the market does a complete 180.

We are blessed in the aspect that we do not have to worry about heating as we have a year round or perpetual summer as it would be. However, being on an island we rely on shipping for our food. We are not a self sustaining in the least. Nearly everything is imported. Fuel price goes up, food prices go up. We are experiencing a 34% unemployment rate for those between ages 18-64 although they claim only a 17% unemployment rate overall. So I fear a great many will be harmed by sharp increases in food prices with so many unemployed or underemployed. Whenever I find a super sale on pasta or canned beans I stock up. We keep a two week hurricane supply of food and water. Will be doing all I can to expand this bit by bit. It is tough when it seems at times we are barely making it paycheck to paycheck as it is. Thanks for the heads up.

reply to post by AuntB


I doubt most people are consciously aware of it. I doubt that they want to be. Most people have no way to cope with knowledge that challenges their established life. People need to wake up!

reply to post by sheepslayer247


The food inflation has hit. I went grocery shopping last night and prices have nearly doubled. I bought 3 bags of groceries and walked out $75 lighter!

One example i bought spaghetti noodles last month at 79 cents a box, last night I paid $1.41.

Everything I bought had a relative price increase from meat to milk, peanuts to canned goods.

I pay close attention to financial markets, and I can tell you over the next few months things are going from bad to worse.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


People just need to go back to the old days of living, hunt your own food, grow the rest. That simple. To much greed is now hitting the every day items we need in order to live.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


How are things looking lately?

My parents live in Missouri. There is talk there of double or triple the normal prices on grains, and possibly beef. There is an ATS thread today about a coffee shortage.

What have you heard lately?

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by sheepslayer247

 

How are things looking lately?

My parents live in Missouri. There is talk there of double or triple the normal prices on grains, and possibly beef. There is an ATS thread today about a coffee shortage.

What have you heard lately?

I hear of high coffee prices but i dont really know because i dont drink coffee. Grain, Rice, Beans, all up 35% year over year for November.

I dont have links because im short of time

Hear stores are at there bracking point with margins and can no longer hide the price incresses and most will start passing down the costs! From what i read this will start very soon.

Shortages of Peanut butter Observed.

for building materials (at work) Ive Observed a total of 15%-18% incress to all materials year over year. This is in line with the 12%-17% inflation i have been reading about.

Once Micky Dees no longer has a dollar menu, its all over

reply to post by getreadyalready


Things have not been looking very good over the past few weeks, and expect a continuing rise.

As the Coffee thread noted, weather is playing a big part in the crop supply and that is carrying over into much of the fruits and veggies we buy at market. Have you noticed that cantaloupes, honeydews, many varieties of lettuce and berries have a much shorter shelf life than they did in the spring and summer? That is due to lower-quality crops in Mexico and California. High-quality products are either in short supply or non-existent.

Coffee itself has been on a steady rise for some time now, but it is trending even higher as crops are being destroyed or producing smaller yields. I see coffee becoming a big problem and we will eventually see "Starbucks-like" prices for a cup of black, regular Columbian coffee.

Grain and meat prices are interchangeable. The price of feed grain is and has been rising, which carried over into increased costs for farmers/ranchers. Of course, this cost will be pushed onto the consumer whom will pay higher prices at the deli and meat counter. This time of year we usually see Choice products fall a bit in price due to high-supply, and Select product climb in price due to a shorter supply. This year we may see a reversal in that trend because many producers are using lower-quality grains and feeds and this effects the quality of meat. So, in essence, the prices will be rising but the quality of cuts will be going down.

Another product that needs attention is oils. Shortening and fryer oils are an integral part of the food industry. Many food service distributors are trying to buy these oils by the multi-truck load in an attempt to get ahead of the upward trend, but the prices are creeping up fast enough that the savings are small. I, myself, just purchased over 2000 gallons of oil to get past the holiday/New Year season, yet I only saved a small amount compared to similar purchases in the past. Purchasers cannot seal the deals before the prices rise. That's how fast this market is moving.

Lastly, many food service distributors have been cutting back on their truck fleets due to fuel and maintenance problems. For example, one of my vendors used to use 12 trucks in my area to distribute food to local business' and markets. Now they have cut it down to 8, loading the trucks heavier, and have began to charge a delivery fee to cover the costs of fuel. Which, in turn, raises the price of the food we buy.

In the end, we are witnessing the gradual increase in all sectors of the food market and it is not tied to the speculation market at all. Demand is high, supply is lower than normal, so the cost is increasing.

Best thing to do would be to fill up the deep-freeze and pantry. This winter will be a rough time as crops in Mexico, California and other states are not expected to recoup until at least the spring harvest season. Even South America has seen crop issues, and they have historically been our "backup" to keep the supply steady and prices somewhat level.

Buy smart, buy local and buy in bulk. That's about the best thing we can do.

reply to post by camaro68ss

Once Micky Dees no longer has a dollar menu, its all over

It should have been gone a long time ago. Once the dam breaks......we will see prices rise to it's true level. They will not be able to maintain a dollar menu and make a profit.