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

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?

 

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.

 

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!)

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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.)

 

No. Either I'm young or you are old before your time! (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.)

 

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?

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