Food prices - Scaremongering? (Warning - Potential Political Content!)

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by KevinH, Jan 6, 2013.

  1. KevinH

    KevinH Guest

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    I'm not a fan of newspapers - what with all the scare-mongering and sensationalising of mundane stories - but there has been an increasing number of reports of "sky-rocketing vegetable/food prices".

    I notice that my food bill has increased ridiculously over the last 2 years. What do you think? Are we on the brink of a(nother) major hike-up?
     
  2. clueless1

    clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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    The soggy year has pushed food prices right up. A 25kg sack of spuds direct from the farm now costs a tenner. Less than 12 months ago the same farm was selling the same size sack of spuds for a fiver.

    They're not simply profiteering. From what I've seen, probably half the land has been taken out of action because its waterlogged.

    To be honest, and this wont go down too well, but food is too cheap anyway. You only have to look at how much of it we waste to see that its too cheap in the UK, or the fact that most people just nip out and buy it and make no attempt to grow any of their own. I'm not saying I want food prices to rise, but looking at it realistically and objectively, the low prices we pay for our food aren't possibly sustainable when a farmer's only hope of making any money at all is if he grows what he's told to and claims every government grant and subsidy available.
     
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    • Fat Controller

      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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      I'm almost certain that you are right - the annoying part of it all is that whilst prices to you and I in the street go ever higher, the farmers seem to be getting squeezed ever tighter.

      I am slowly converting more and more of my garden to food production to try and take the sting out of it a bit (as well as the fact that home grown definitely tastes better)

      Its not only food prices either mind you, I said a long time ago that once the powers that be managed to get a smoking ban in, it was only a matter of time before the propaganda would start to increase alcohol taxes, or even taxes on cakes etc - - an lo and behold, those are the very things that are getting discussed on the news nowadays.

      I am increasingly cynical as I get older, and am firmly of the mind that those in power get the likes of the BBC to prattle on for a while about their given subject so that we become almost immune to hearing about it - then they drop a bomb and we all just accept it like sheep. The 'credit crunch' and the subsequent financial crises are only one example.
       
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      • KevinH

        KevinH Guest

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        I can agree and disagree.

        For me, Food Producers are like Insurance Companies. Sadly, I've had to deal with a few Insurance Companies over the past few years (I've had a few rear-shunts to my car) and I am told by my Insurance company that my premium has gone up even though I was not at fault. They call it an "Incident" - and almost any incident means a premium increase. I've noticed that whenever there is bad weather, someone, somewhere says that prices will have to go up. There was even an instance where it was an ideal year for one particular crop but its prices, too, went up because they say "other parts of the farm didn't do so well". It seems any argument is a good argument for a price hike because we cannot check it.

        However, we use and abuse too much food - look at all the gluttinous fatties we have around us. (e2a: However, I do recognise those who are in food-poverty - no joking matter.)

        That said, growing your own is the very best way forward in every manner possible; health-wise and politically. I'm looking forward to becoming almost self-sustainable - which is my goal.

        (My post crossed with FC - agreed!)
         
      • Scrungee

        Scrungee Well known for it

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        Somebody from Waitrose described it (yesterday?) as "the tip of the iceberg".
         
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        • "M"

          "M" Total Gardener

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          Personally, I think the "wrong" types of food are cheap (highly processed, mass produced rubbish) thus the "right" kinds of food (more natural) appear expensive by comparision.
           
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          • KevinH

            KevinH Guest

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            Mum, that's an incredibly powerful argument (#6). I think I should look at it in that way.
             
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            • Jenny namaste

              Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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              I know there are bread makers on GC and I am not looking forward to the next time I have to buy my 16kg sacks of white and wholemeal. I believe that farmers have not sown wheat yet as the ground is still sodden. The US had poor grain yields so we are going to be paying more for all our grain based essentials and luxuries. I think this spate of unkind growing weather has a lot to answer for.
              Jenny
               
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              • Fat Controller

                Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                Quite possibly - if we LET it be the tip of an iceberg.

                And this is one way that we are letting it be the tip of an iceberg - there are great swathes of this country that are empty, and we have plenty of people out of work, yet we are importing food from all over the world. Whilst I accept that there are some things that we will never be able to viably grow here, there are some crops that would grow on much of the land that currently lies uncultivated and out of use (oats, potatoes etc).

                I'm not saying for one second that we should destroy all natural landscapes, but I do believe that we should be making more of them - growing more food stuffs, having more animals on the land for meat (chickens, sheep etc), and more woodlands both for building materials and fuel. Not only would our food be more environmentally kind, but there would be the added bonus of getting people into work.

                Hell, if it was backed up with a programme to build low cost homes (all of which to have a garden to help with self-sufficiency), the economy would be given a longer term boost as well!

                But none of this will happen, as those above us benefit more from having us all in the position we are now - broke, and having to pay through the nose to borrow money just to get by.
                 
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                • KevinH

                  KevinH Guest

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                  FC, I think you and I were separated at birth!

                  (e2a: the 16kg bread post - Now there's a food issue with me. In my local Aldi store I can buy an 800g Warburtons white loaf for £1.00 but in my local Co-op store the same loaf is £1.55. Go figure where the greed is.)
                   
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                  • Fat Controller

                    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                    No doubt that the weather has had a massive impact Jenny, but if we were growing foods more diversely than we are, maybe it wouldn't be just as bad? The problem with modern farming is that it is only viable on a grand scale, and that sees it all centred around certain areas - no farmer in their right mind is going to start a smaller scale farm up in the dales any more, as it wouldn't make enough of a return to be viable.
                     
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                    • Fat Controller

                      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                      I have a feeling that we are of a similar age? I'm 36?
                       
                    • KevinH

                      KevinH Guest

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                      No. Either I'm young or you are old before your time! :heehee: (1960 for me.)

                      FC-post #11 - don't know about that. What about the niche farmers markets? I know of at least a dozen Dales-based food companies turning out a higher priced foodstuff (whether it is better quality or not, or even value, is another question.)
                       
                    • Fat Controller

                      Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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                      Ah, probably the latter then - I have always been older than my years! Still, you are not that much older really.
                       
                    • "M"

                      "M" Total Gardener

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                      Jenny, that is when it is wise to keep an eye on weather related food issues and align it with good old fashioned housekeeping storage ideas! ;) For example, the two immediate ideas which spring to mind would be a) buy bulk flour, if anticipating a hike in price, batch bake loaves and freeze; or, b) bulk buy the flour and freeze that instead. A third idea would be ... reduce your bread consuption and find an alternative.

                      Another old fashioned concept, which does appear to have left the minds of younger generations when planning what to eat, is that of the "satiation value" of food - way too much emphasis has been put on the calorific/fad value!

                      As an example: the humble jacket potato (single portion). Satiation value is quite high.
                      Compare that to a bag of chips from the chippy: it takes more potatoes to create a "portion" thus the satiation value reduces because you consume more (and faster) and, in the making, they absorb quite a high amount of fat.

                      Root vegetables have a higher satiation value than salad crops; yet, many "diets" are filled with salad recipes (increasing the demand but reducing the satiation value as a "vegetable"). Root vegetables do have a higher calorie value, but a much higher satiation value.

                      So, let's go back to a bread substitute: many things which could be put into a sandwich can be put into a jacket potato and would most likely have a higher satiation value. A cheese omelette instead of a cheese sandwich would have a higher satiation value.

                      Once satiation values are taken into account in the balance sheet of eating vs cost (instead of the calorific value), surely food becomes cheaper because you need less of it to feel fuller longer? :dunno:

                      Running in tandem with all of that would be portion sizes (oh that old chestnut?). Walk into an antique shop and look at a dinner service - then pop into Ikea or suchlike. Last century's "serving" dishes are now this century's "dinner" plates - ok, slight exaggeration, but you get the point ;)
                       
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