16 responses to “HAVE YOUR SAY: How have soaring food prices affected you?”

1. Teresa B. says:
   04 Jun 2008 13:08:21 GMT

   The food prices made me serious about planting a garden this year. And it means there is a lot less waste because the kids know that they MUST eat leftovers before something new is cooked.

2. Azumi says:
   04 Jun 2008 14:42:24 GMT

   The food crisis is really hitting my family. Even before the hike of food items, we manage the little we have to survive. With the increase in the prices of food we have to cut down our ratios, this not only affect our health but also my younger ones in school. because I cant imagine a child coping well in school with almost an empty stomach.

3. Giuseppe Michieli says:
   04 Jun 2008 15:08:13 GMT

   In Italy we have to manage higher prices for pasta - one of the most consumed food for every family - and bread. At large distribution outlets prices seem out of control without authorities countermeasures such as VAT reduction on basic products (pasta, bread, milk, olive oil, wine, bottled water). Most of elderly population must live with around 600 euros monthly and with this amount pay for food, electricity, and all the other basic services. It is also frustrating to see agriculture sector heavily funded by either central government and EU but vegetables prices don't stop their climbing.

4. T. Kollor says:
   05 Jun 2008 12:42:16 GMT

   I keep enlarging my garden more and more this year. (I try to help a friend whose household has huge medical bills) with garden greens and other produce at least once or twice a month, weather permitting. And I know of people in my local and nearby area (especially seniors, those with children, and those whose work hours have been cut or laid off from jobs) who make use of senior commodities, nonsenior commodities, WIC, or nearby town foodbank once a month. What I'm really worried about is what an increase in this winter's utilities will mean to working and lower income retired households , especially when combined with high gasoline prices and ever increasing food prices (especially for the basics like bread/flour/pasta/eggs/milk/beans/chees/rice, cheap cuts of meat like the lowest grades of hamburger/bolgna/hot dogs. Suspect there will be increasing demand for commodites/help from food bank/foodstamps etc. And well before then, households with schoolage children will be further affected due to no summer school and no summer children's food programs in rural and semirural areas.

5. Peniel Malakar says:
   05 Jun 2008 12:46:17 GMT

   Here in India we have no options than to go for low quality low quantity products as impacts of food price inflation. For example, deviation from standard weight like 100gm to 92gms, 1000 ltrs to 990 ltrs etc.

   Vegetables are are not safe (adulterated toxic based infusion to grow faster) and the cost is higher in comparison to fish and chicken. Hence, a shift compromising with natural vegetables.
   I recently planned to buy two-wheeler smelling the fuel hike and ever increasing traffic snags in Delhi (India's capital)...(fuel price hike declared and affected from midnight today). We also stopped hiring cabs instead prefer to travel by newly launched High Capacity Bus in Delhi. We have no option but to go along with LPG cooking gas as electricity power is not only short but also costlier. We as family are also commited to not to contribute to global warming and hence save electricity.
   I see the similar move in the community around me as they are shifts taking place in the community we live though quality of life is not yet directly observed, the pinch is there. Most of the cars are gathering dusts in the parking lots and people are shifting to two-wheeler and high capacity bus.
   There would be ever increasing number of people with hunger; there would be wars and increasing number of criminal activities. Lack of employement, vertical gap between the rich and the poorer (countries) would continue to grow, political unstability, corruption etc. etc. would be in their peak.

6. Rhonda says:
   05 Jun 2008 13:08:44 GMT

   It has come down to where we have to make the choice whether to buy groceries or pay the electric bill. Between paying tithe, gas and groceries, there is not enough to pay all the bills. I have had to put out a larger garden this year, but with physical limitations, it's not going to be easy, but I have to do what I have to do for our family to survive. My heart goes out to those who are less fortunate than myself. I fear it's only going to get worse because we are living in the last days when perilous times will come. II Timothy 3:1

7. P. Floyd says:
   09 Jun 2008 07:35:33 GMT

   I buy less produce, therefor wasting less, shop at smaller stores with better prices. I buy large cuts of meat, make them into portions and then freeze. Got a water filter so I would not have to buy bottled water, for myself. I never ever shop when I am hungry and I do not eat out much. Also I am single so I have more disposable income so I can do things like buying large packs of bottled water to hand out to the homeless, or feeding friends with less cash.

8. Todd says:
   09 Jun 2008 07:36:06 GMT

   I have had no problem in buying anything I desire to eat. Here in Kentucky prices have raised but not to a point where I have to deny my family what we have eaten on a regular basis. I am not wealthy as I work a commission retail job in a Mall selling Sleep Number beds. While our business has slowed, tracking with the economy, my family has not had to make any tough decisions regarding what we eat. Produce is still relatively inexpensive as my wife stops at neighborhood fruit and vegetable stands and purchases home grown items that they have grown. In past years we have had a small garden but are too busy this year to fool with it. We still eat steak about twice a week and always have meat with every meal. My wife has found many recipes on-line for boneless chicken breast which still costs around $2.00 a pound. While rice has increased in price we still enjoy it several times a week. I am more concerned about oil prices than I am food costs. I am sorry I can’t paint the doom and gloom picture this blog apparently wants everyone to read. I am not being forced to decide whether we eat or pay bills. r

9. paul n kitty says:
   09 Jun 2008 07:36:58 GMT

   It's all gone a bit sideways here too:)

10. janet says:
    09 Jun 2008 07:37:38 GMT

    THE PRICES ARE REALLY RISING, THE GAS PRICES ARE AFFECTING THINGS BROUGHT TO STORES.I HAVE SEEN FRESH PRODUCE, COFFEE, SHORTENING FLOUR , CORN MEAL. BUTTER,CHEESE , DAIRY , COOKIES, BREAD,MAYO, POTOTOES, ONIONS ETC INCREASE ALOT LATELY IT IS GETTING UNAFFORDABLE WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PRICE OF FUEL, GAS, HEATING THIS WINTER THE ELECTRIC AND TAXES ARE GOING UP TOO. AND UNFORTUNATELY I AGREE THE LAST LADY TIMES WILL GET WORSE OUR REDEMENATION DRAWTH NIGH SO HOLD THE FAITH

11. shaun says:
    09 Jun 2008 12:20:35 GMT

    I suspect that we haven't seen the major rises yet. Prices have been very high in France for some time now, but the supermarkets have enormous profit margins which they can reduce to keep prices from leaping out of sight.

    BUT, farmers in France & Germany, fishermen etc. are refusing to sell as their revenues no longer cover the costs of production. This is a also an upward pressure.
    On a personal note, this year I have one (that's right - one) pear "bud". Three pear trees, three apple trees and a very large cherry have no fruit appearing at all. Why? Either a cold spell at the wrong moment, or no bees. I don't know if this is general, but the Bee situation has been getting progressively worse for a couple of years. Prices will inevitably rise if "nature" decides to go on strike as well.

12. Mary Frehulfer says:
    09 Jun 2008 12:21:26 GMT

    We will all have to re-think and act differently in how we spend our money in these difficult and changing times. We need to protest as well as act in our own best interest. We will see government passing their increases onto us as well. This Election in the US is about this economy. Nothing else. As far as food is concerned, too many of us are so jaded. The good thing is because we are jaded, giving up the fluff will put serious jingle in our pocket. Cutting back will be good for our health. Shopping in bulk and at co-ops and with forthought is not only good for the person, it is good for the globe. Sometimes we need to feel pain to grow. But, I am fortunate; in where I live and the income I have and the resources available to me and the access I have to them. Not everyone is in this same advantagous situation.

13. Renee says:
    17 Jun 2008 12:17:08 GMT

    I live in an urban area in Pennsylvania, USA. We stopped eating cow meat more than a year ago because of its enviro impact. We eat very few corn products (incuding hi-fructose garbage) for similar reasons. My husband and I ride bicycles most places. We have a tiny garden. We shop locally to support the organic farmers. They sell produce at reasonable prices. We buy very little packaged food. We eat less, and forget about snacks. We reduced our electricity, water and natural gas bills to less than half the consumption before we started paying attention. We keep looking for technology and technique to get off the grid. For now it works. I am horrified by this crisis. Feed people not cars.

14. ttoommccaatt39 says:
    18 Jun 2008 19:19:35 GMT

    the energy crunch is just starting it has not reached its peak. i predict that diesel will reach $10.00 per gallon with in the next year. Food processing and shipping cost will follow and food will be come a luxioury rather than a necessity. we need class action suit filed against the oil companies that have bought up all the patents and inventions that could make more use of alternative energy sources. These have been bought up over the last 60 years to protect the oil companies products. if these were released given the innovativeness and ambitions of the american people our need for hydrocarbon energy would be reduced.

    I have added a hobby shop work area on the side of the house and included a wood burning stove capable of burning every thing from house hold garbage to used pallets and all kinds of waste wood products. this has reduced my monthly heating bills by a considerable amount and gives me some needed exercise to prepare the burnables for the heating stove.
    I trade work to farmers and ranchers occationally for at least one beef a year and process it my self to save processing costs.
    I live at a hi elevation and some food things and gardens are not practical due to inclimante weather but i intend to try a green house eventually to extend the climate in this area.
    all areas have some agriculture product that they speicalize in producing and if ur are willing to drive up and ask the farmers to either have a chance to gleen the feilds or by their products directly from them most of them are more than happy to oblige.
    cash money talks and they will work with u at some very reasonable prices beside u cut out several middle men when doing this.
    the cost of food is reasonable at the farmers level but increases derasticly every time is is handled or processed and packaged
    buy foods more in bulk and unpackaged. we have the most hi teck packaging system available but u pay dearly for it and cant eat it.
    if a person is traveling to some where all u hve to do is share ur shoping list or travel along with that person saving the wasted fuel of 2 individual cars.
    there are so many ways to economis i have been to the philippines and over there any thing that costs money is determined to be a luxury and is automatically not used. we think in the usa that we recycle stuff but compared to the philippines we dont even know what the word recycle even means. americans are the most wasteful people we buy stuff to over come boredom and throw it in the city land fill then next week to keep from cluttering the garage. the garage is so full of unused unecessary junk that the car cant even get in the garage. the tires are deterioated by the uv sun and we cant even store the car in the garage.
    i save all my computer paper that is normally wasted and fold it in half and make lists and other notes reducing need for premade note paper.
    each house hold uses tons and tons of toilet paper which is a problem to the city sewage processing facility.
    if people would start washing there butts with water and stop using toilet paper the energy saved to produce such a product and the total waste of trees involve would reduce the fuel needs in the usa by about 20% over nite.
    in the philippines a small 1 quart sause pan with a handle is used to put water down ur back and ur left hand is used to wash ur butt.
    its simple very effective and saves millions of rolls of toilet paper.
    people joke with me when i tell them this and they say but u might get ur fingers dirty and i tell them with the thickness of todays toilet paper ur destine to get ur fingers dirty anyway.
    we only buy toilet paper for the guess bedroom
    soap can be saved. when u travel as most all americans do the motels give complimentary soap its small bars but most of it is quality soap and basically soap is a base material with lye added to remove one layer of ur skin so u become clean artifically sheding one layer of skin to the lye in the soap.
    if these complimenary bars are taken home and completely used the savings on jsut soap normally used once and wasted can reduce ur shopping budget.
    incondest lite bulbs can be replaced by floresent bulbs with an energy savings. not cheap but once u start using them the offsetting cost and improved lite conditions will be easlily recognized.
    learning to spell better than i do might help others understand more what ur trying to get across to them.
    americans are so wasteful that it is easy to find ways to save millions of dollars and millions of gallons of energy jsut by being concervative conscientious.
    what i have listed here is jsut an example of ways to ecomise and conserve.
    i grew up on a farm in a remote wyoming location we never wasted a thing and never threw away a machine part dad had gone through the great depression and any thing that could be rebuilt or reused if times got tuff again was put in a pile and is most likely still there waiting on the next great depression.
    inflation is when ur out of a job. depression is when im out of a job.
    i could go on with several hundred more examples of ways to save and conserve but i dont think the american people are really dedicated enuff to actually care yet.
    when diesel goes to $10.00 a gallon then and only then will the total general population even start to care.

15. Grace says:
    19 Jun 2008 07:59:03 GMT

    Here in Oregon we've also seen the supplies of salmon and oysters rising considerably in recent months as well as the general rise in prices due to gas price increases. I'm relatively fortunate: Until recently I never had to pay much attention to food prices. But with the rising prices, I'm noticing prices and even reducing consumption of some of the pricier parts of my diet. I expect with the midwest flooding and gas prices continuing to rise, I'll eventually need to cut back more, probably by stopping eating out and cooking more.

16. daliya robson says:
    28 Sep 2008 10:31:06 GMT

    I might put on weight and develop Diabetes with no being able to buy organic veggies and go to beans and bread

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