Food prices increase by 5.4%

[donsu]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080115/BUSINESS10/801150331


Food prices increase by 5.4%
Dip in dollar, biofuels seen as key causes


The falling value of the U.S. dollar is contributing to a rise in food prices, particularly with imported foods such as fruit from Spain. A gallon of whole milk that sold for $2.78 in January 2000 costs around $3.95 today.

Eggs were 97 cents at the dawn of the new millennium. Now they're $2.49 a dozen.

-snip-

"In general, food prices will continue to go higher as the dollar weakens," said Greg Womack, a financial planner with Womack Investment Advisers in Edmond, Okla.

-snip-

Beyond U.S. borders, the sharp rise corn prices recently led Mexicans to demonstrate in the streets of their capital over the skyrocketing price of corn tortilla, a staple of their diet.

(will things get so bad here that we will riot in the streets over food prices?)

-snip-

"Transportation of food is an issue because so much food is shipped by truck," Dyer said. "Higher diesel costs would be passed through to customers."
---------------------------------------


so there you have it - transportation

what power that word has

[ORDagnabbit]

1. 5.4% LOL.....yeah try double digits....government numbers always hide the truth

[donsu]

3. true

nt

[Warpy]

11. Yeah, that doesn't begin to tell the truth

Maybe that 5.4% covers the price of grain at the farm level.

Milk, by their own admission, is up 42%, eggs by 256%. These are staple items for most families, part of the food budget that can't be eliminated and replaced by cheaper things. Gas is also up 258% here, as of last Tuesday.

I use powdered soymilk and powdered eggs in baking, but it doesn't save me anything except what I'd lose through spoilage.

I think we can safely triple the inflation figure for those of us who are still living paycheck to paycheck. My income, which looked princely compared to the poverty I'd been in before my dad died, is not looking that generous these days, although I can afford to eat and still be generous.

I am hoping the US public starts to pay a little more attention to something besides the horse race being portrayed on the evening news, to listen and read what the candidates are saying about the economy.

It's the economy. It's always been the economy. The media darlings will do little about it.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. That May Be True

But, they don't have to lie abou this. 5.4% is a HUGE number! Unseen in a quarter century.
The Professor

[Rebellious Republican]

2. In the words of the aristocrats .....

Let them eat cake!

[Subdivisions]

4. On top of that, high-quality, easy-to-access oil is nearly gone leaving

only harder-to-extract/find, more expensive to process, and heavier "sour" oil to supply the world's energy needs.

Things are going to get much worse, unfortunately.

[maxsolomon]

5. see, that's not core inflation

food & energy don't count, america haters.

:sarcasm:

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Oh Yeah!

Sorry, i forgot. And to think i've been tracking total inflation, including those two, for over 20 years, and they don't even count.
The Professor

[Vilis Veritas]

6. Wow, glad I live in Texas

I still buy eggs for .99 and milk for $2.50,

I guess the reality of this article is that the states where food is shipped in from longer distances are going to be the first ones to fail...I wonder if this will result in an exodus of some kind?

Peace.

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. Where do you find those prices in Texas, because I'm not finding them.

[Vilis Veritas]

13. North of Houston...Kleins, HEB, Kroger, Costco

While Kroger is higher than Kleins or HEB for milk ($3.00)...I can get it for $2.50 on sale at either Kleins or HEB.

Eggs are usually, .99-1.19 per dozen.

I buy my eggs from a neighbor for 1.00 per dozen, when she is out, I can usually get them at Kleins for .99-1.19 per dz.

If you are talking organic, then eggs are $3.49 per dz and milk is currently $5.49 gal at the local Kroger's.

At Walmart (I dont shop there), I consistantly see eggs and milk for the prices I stated. But this is north of Houston.

Peace.

[donsu]

9. all kinds of exodus - looking for water being one

home veg. gardens, even in the city, even in apts., there are ways

it is your responsibility to see to it that you, yourself survives. you are a help to nobody if you are dead.

learning how to garden is a survival tactic.

[catmandu57]

7. If we would drop this drugwar bullshit

and grow hemp to make biofuel and other things out of that would go a long way to reducing our depend on oil and we wouldn't be using food to make fuel.

[donsu]

10. true - even cloth can be made from hemp

nt

[Warpy]

12. It can, but it's tricky. I bought a few ounces of hemp to spin

and ended up with very nice string. It's even harder to spin into usable yarn for fabric than linen is.

The only way to treat it so it will resemble fabric is wait until winter to weave it, cut it off the loom, wet it, and throw it outside to freeze. Then iron it dry and repeat until it softens and no longer feels like burlap.

Either that, or use a factory process to break down the fibres a bit before they're spun or knit into usable clothing.

I'll stick to wool.

[donsu]

14. thanks for that info, I've only seen hemp clothing in stores

nt

[CoffeeCat]

15. I was in complete SHOCK in the grocery store this week...

I pay very close attention to prices and I shop several grocery stores to
get the best deals--and use a ton of coupons.

I was absolutely blown away by food prices last week. I think we've reached
a tipping point. I'm seeing a 30 percent increase in the prices of many
items.

Egg and milk prices have risen sharply. However, these items are staples in
almost every American home, and it seems like grocers, to some extent, try to
keep those prices reasonable.

It's the other stuff that I see skyrocketing. Breakfast cereal boxes are smaller
now, has everyone noticed that? The prices have risen dramatically. Yogurt is
off the charts, as are frozen-food items. Fruits and veggies are almost out of
reach, unless you find a great sale.

I would guess that the price of a typical market basket of groceries has risen
about 25-30 percent. Many things have even doubled in price.

Between gas prices and the price of groceries rising so much, I am really
worried about senior citizens on fixed incomes, the poor and working families
who live paycheck to paycheck. It's just awful!

I'm donating every week to our local food pantry now, and it feels like it will
never be enough!