Poll: Rising food prices

Are you spending more money on food?

Posted by Grist at 2:38 PM on 16 Apr 2008

Food prices are soaring around the globe. Have you felt the pinch? Take our poll and tell us. You can vote below the fold.

And read recent Grist content on the topic:

• Why Michael Pollan and Alice Waters should quit celebrating food-price hikes
• How expensive is food, really?
• Higher food prices mean crappier cafeteria fare for kids

Poll

Votes: 282
Results

For story: Poll: Rising food prices
8 Comments | Post a Comment

marginal

US CPI rose 0.3% last month.

Poorer countries likely are feeling the pinch more.

by Sir Oolius at 3:07 PM on 16 Apr 2008

Why I haven't been impacted

My own experience (which I suspect is similar to many of those here) is that there has been little impact on the costs of the food I actually eat. We eat organic nearly always, farmer's market extensively for veggies, grass-fed beef, and we have our own chickens and meat rabbits. I think as a result of the fact that we're already eating premium food (or eating outside the agro-food system entirely), we're largely insulated from price increases driven by the rising cost of corn and other grains. I haven't done the research to support this, but I suspect the biggest cost increments will be in the cheapest (and worst quality) foods, which are highly processed and mostly made out of corn. The upshot of course is that the poor will, once again, bear the brunt of the impact of our excesses (in this case, corn ethanol).

by GreenEngineer at 3:14 PM on 16 Apr 2008

It's all about

oil.

by LPS at 5:16 PM on 16 Apr 2008

It's not all about OIL

More than 40 percent of households in Japan have been "significantly affected" by recent increases in the price of daily necessities ... survey showed that the biggest price increases were in products such as pot noodles and spaghetti. While the price of tissue paper, gasoline, kerosene and other items went down ...

http://msrb.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/japan-the-land-of-ri ...

by LGT at 7:32 PM on 16 Apr 2008

It is about oil and agriculture

I think LPS means: high food prices are the result of high oil prices. Which is correct.

by Jonas at 3:29 AM on 17 Apr 2008
[ Parent ]

No, not the price of oil

No, it's not correct.

Food prices are high for a number of reasons:

- Loss of arable land because of changing climate
- Poor yields because of lack of water (drought)
- Poor yields because of soil exhaustion (unsustainable crop practices)
- Diversion of arable land from food crops to crops for biofuels
- Increasing cost of fuel (oil) used in farming and food transport
- Increasing demand (more mouths to feed)

Did I miss any? Does anyone know the relative contribution of each of these forcings?

by Easterbunny at 6:37 AM on 17 Apr 2008

A well-informed comment

Easterbunny, VWP!

Degradation of productive land is also caused by

Soil erosion, salination, deforestation, overexploitation for fuelwood, overgrazing, nutrient depletion, large scale agricultural activities, industrialization and desertification.

Loss of topsoil to levels below the critical level is a major cause of poor yields

Measuring an average of about 6.6 inches (16.76 centimeters) deep, topsoil is the upper layer of earth's crust. Topsoil comprises of a mix of humus, mineral and composted materials giving rise to most of the soil's biological activity and supplying nutrients to plants and therefore to animals. After air and water, topsoil is Earth's most vital resource.

http://edro.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/topsoil/

by LGT at 6:56 AM on 17 Apr 2008

It's the dollar

As many bush apologists will point out, on oil prices, food prices, housing, whatever. Adjusted for inflation prices are actually lower than at most moments in our past.

If prices are measured in proportion to average wages, then the picture is cleared up. If you plug your own income into this adjusted framework it gets personal.

Who wants to live generically, with average Walmart food. Did you ever taste their bread? That makes it personal.

So how to save money and be healthier and eat better food? All at the same time?

Eat more vegetable products and less animal products.

Grow your own and cook it yourself.

Buy what you can't grow, locally from a family organic farm.

Eat less.

Don't believe polls, hehey.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 7:30 AM on 17 Apr 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

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