Food prices increasing, possible shortages (merged topics)

[ncjeeper]

Another reason for my first attempt at a garden this year.

[daved]

I don't think I ever mentioned the latest price increases at work. The first round was a line that went up in size and also in price, with the price per ounce increasing. A couple of $0.99 items went to $1.29 and dropped by a fraction of an ounce. A few more $.099 things stayed the same price but got a little smaller (the exact weight change escapes me at the moment). The next round was an item dropping from 9.625 oz to 9 oz with no price change. After that comes (about to happen, but still the old size) a drop in size from 11.5 to 11 oz with no price change. Next (in May I believe) will be a price increase from $2.99 to $3.29 with the size remaining at 16oz. I also heard a rumor that something that decreased in price due to low sales is going to go back up the the original higher price. (This is all snack food if you're wondering).
I don't remember a time (in 15 years of working with this stuff) that so many things went up in price or down in size at the same time. It's not uncommon for an item to change, but this many all in the course of a few months is amazing.

[Thox Spuddy]

back on topic: Buff, this food supply you purchased, did you sample it first? Do you have plans to incorporate it into your use or is it going into storage until SHTF?

I'll redirect this question to everyone as I have sampled a long-term storage product  before placing an order and it tasted good, but not so good that I could eat it everyday and it didn't work well in my digestive system. So, has anyone tried using long-term storage food on a routine basis?

[buffalosoldier]

back on topic: Buff, this food supply you purchased, did you sample it first? Do you have plans to incorporate it into your use or is it going into storage until SHTF?

Sample it? Nope. It is the same non perishables that I always get. I listed up what I consume over a month and multiplied it by 6.5. I went for the extra 50% because I figure caloric need might go up in a scenario. I call it 3 months worth since part of my deal is that I have another couple going in on this with us. They live on the other side of the city, in a small suburb/town, roughly 15-20 miles away. In case something happens local to one of us, we have another house to hold up in, with room for the dogs both couples have.

[endurance]

@thox:  when I first started for the Forest Service, as a volunteer on a wilderness trail crew we had a huge cache of mountain house #10 cans.  That was dinner five days a week.  Breakfast was either dehydrated eggs (w/w/o bacon bits, definitely prefered with!), bisquik biskets, or pancakes.  Lunch was usually trail mix, smashed pb&j sandwiches, or candy bars (I was 19 and knew nothing of nutrition).

For the first third of the summer it was fine, but I was frequently packed up five days a week, which was convienient in the backcountry, albeit uncomfortable.  About mid-summer I got giardia and frankly, mountain house saved my arse, literally.  While giardia sucked, I didn't have health insurance and couldn't afford the meds to clear it up, so the giardia stayed with me for almost two years, with lapses of better and worse.  For those two years, I never traveled anywhere without my own roll of TP with me.

Anyway, with the right variety and some other stuff to eat one or two meals a day, its not bad, but do buy some exlax.  I've also baked my own 100% whole wheat bread and had similar issues, despite the fact that all that fiber should do the opposite.  Any major diet change causes problems, so integrating some of your preps into your daily diet is definitely a good idea.

[chrisdfw]

I buy very few pre-mixed meals, ie mountain house entrees, I largely buy the mountain house ingredients such as freeze dried ground beef, etc and plan to use it to make the stuff I eat now. I generally try to stock up on the things that I eat fresh now to the extent possible.

I also buy canned goods, if you look into it canned meats and the like can be as cheap or cheaper than freeze dried and have long shelf lives (10 years or more stored properly)

I store rice, beans, pasta that are parts of my regular diet.

I just don't see myself wanting to change my diet if I have a choice so I favor ingredients over prepared entrees. Additionally I find they prepared entrees to heavily weighted towards carbohydrates. Of course carbohydrates are much cheaper than other components, I want to have things resembling a normal diet.

[Mr. Bill]

I'll redirect this question to everyone as I have sampled a long-term storage product  before placing an order and it tasted good, but not so good that I could eat it everyday and it didn't work well in my digestive system. So, has anyone tried using long-term storage food on a routine basis?

You might take a look at some of the posted reviews here -- for example:

Reviews of long-term storage foods (non-homemade) -- a bunch of products reviewed in one thread.

There are more threads on specific products in the Food Storage and Food Preps boards.

Related discussion: how long could you seriously live off of dried food ?

[kiteflyer]

 Yeah they warm the old frog up slowly in the pot and as it swims around it doesn't realize that the water is getting hotter and hotter until it's too late.Humans are much different.Sex,food and comfort is about it.  Central banks with funny money have done it to us more than once. 

            kiteflyer

I don't think I ever mentioned the latest price increases at work. The first round was a line that went up in size and also in price, with the price per ounce increasing. A couple of $0.99 items went to $1.29 and dropped by a fraction of an ounce. A few more $.099 things stayed the same price but got a little smaller (the exact weight change escapes me at the moment). The next round was an item dropping from 9.625 oz to 9 oz with no price change. After that comes (about to happen, but still the old size) a drop in size from 11.5 to 11 oz with no price change. Next (in May I believe) will be a price increase from $2.99 to $3.29 with the size remaining at 16oz. I also heard a rumor that something that decreased in price due to low sales is going to go back up the the original higher price. (This is all snack food if you're wondering).
I don't remember a time (in 15 years of working with this stuff) that so many things went up in price or down in size at the same time. It's not uncommon for an item to change, but this many all in the course of a few months is amazing.

[Thox Spuddy]

Yeah they warm the old frog up slowly in the pot and as it swims around it doesn't realize that the water is getting hotter and hotter until it's too late.Humans are much different.Sex,food and comfort is about it.  Central banks with funny money have done it to us more than once.  kiteflyer

I think that this trait is more characteristic of humans than of frogs.

You might take a look at some of the posted reviews here -- for example:Reviews of long-term storage foods (non-homemade) -- a bunch of products reviewed in one thread.
There are more threads on specific products in the Food Storage and Food Preps boards.Related discussion: how long could you seriously live off of dried food ?

Excellent links, I will study them, thank you!

I buy very few pre-mixed meals, ie mountain house entrees, I largely buy the mountain house ingredients such as freeze dried ground beef, etc and plan to use it to make the stuff I eat now. I generally try to stock up on the things that I eat fresh now to the extent possible.

I also buy canned goods, if you look into it canned meats and the like can be as cheap or cheaper than freeze dried and have long shelf lives (10 years or more stored properly)

I store rice, beans, pasta that are parts of my regular diet.

I just don't see myself wanting to change my diet if I have a choice so I favor ingredients over prepared entrees. Additionally I find they prepared entrees to heavily weighted towards carbohydrates. Of course carbohydrates are much cheaper than other components, I want to have things resembling a normal diet.

This has been our approach and I highly recommend it. We do have some prepared meals such as Mountain House@ which we found to be excellent, but overall buying foundational ingredients are the best approach if you know how to cook. We have been highly pleased with the products from Honeyville, which has been dried eggs (no longer temporarily available due to our government sincerely wanting to protect us and the flaked grains. We've just placed another order for more of their products, and I would like to hear of products from other sources that people are satisfied with to gain a larger diversity of sources of supply. Right now, I think these suppliers are actually cheaper in the long run than anticipating summertime produce purchases at the farmers market.

[buffalosoldier]

(I am moving this myself, seems like it fits better here)


Well, I suggest you stock pile it.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/07/17/mb_170700tequila.html

It is about an Agave crop failure, which tequila is made out of, in 2000. Old news right, prolem must been solved? nope, Agave takes about 12 years to mature... what year is it again?

http://articles.cnn.com/2000-07-21/health/tequila.shortage_1_agave-tequila-producers-shortage?_s=PM:FOOD

http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/05/29/idUSN2924142520070530

Combine the three waves of pestilence and new fungi they have endured over the last two or three decades... Also, since ethanol is all the rage, farmers are using agave lands for biofuel crops now... and burning out the Agave. A plant, which by the way, is extraoridinairly sensitive, and only grows in one area in Mexico... so when it is gone... so is True Tequila. (also the two drugs that they were developing using Agave to help cure/combat Chron's disease and colitis.)

[nkawtg]

Here is the latest news from Walmart; "U.S. consumers face "serious" inflation in the months ahead for clothing, food and other products, the head of Wal-Mart's U.S. operations warned Wednesday."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-03-30-wal-mart-ceo-expects-inflation_N.htm

[Slomad]

I was reading an article about inflation and I learned something new to me, even if it may not be new to others. Basically, the reason people are seeing a disconnect between raising prices in the grocery stores and the relative slight inflation as reported by the government has to do with how they measure inflation.

Essentially, they have a basket of goods and compare the prices of those over time...BUT, and it's a big but, as the prices of those goods become really high, they stop counting those and choose a lower priced good. The logic is that it reflects consumer behavior in that as goods become more expensive, they switch to a cheaper version (a generic, for instance). Of course, this hides the actual inflation number, in my opinion, as you're no longer comparing like goods to like goods. And it explains why they keep saying inflation is low despite what we're all seeing in the stores.

[Thox Spuddy]

Slomad: this is why one should avoid TIPS (treasury inflation protected securities) as they adjust according to the governments' fake inflation index.

[kiteflyer]

     Kroger Stores have stop tripling all coupons in The Greater Houston Area,only face value for now on.Everything is increasing across the board now and if you have not prepared and have not started a garden then time is running out quickly! The middle class is dying in America,it will be accelerating every where now. The good old days are gone.

              kiteflyer   

[monkeyboyf]

Went to Dollar General today.  Right away I noticed the price increase per item from two weeks ago. This was across the board on everything. They are also adding more imported canned goods, hard to tell where they are being canned.  I bought more Spam and vienna sausages and skipped the canned chicken and tuna in off-brands. Even the paper products were priced up.  Oh, well, I agree with Kite, it is really beginning.  Hold on to your drawers!

[Thox Spuddy]

Add to your stores ocean food now as future products will be tainted radioactive. Anything in a can from the ocean will be tripled in price due to fear of the same.

[buffalosoldier]

I have a thought:

We, as a community, notice the price change faster than others simply from not going as often to the stores, so the price jumps that seem subtle to others or gradual, really stand out to us.

[mamabear]

Buff, I agree to some extent. We as a community are more in tune with the individual prices going up or the weight going down. However, the average consumer, while maybe not noticing those individual price/weight fluctuations, is surely noticing that the total grocery bill going up. Most everyone I know has made some sort of comment on the fact that their cost of groceries are higher, even if they don't know which specific item. They just assume that everything is going up. And really, it is. 

[daved]

If anyone has beef jerky as part of their stored food plan, now may be the time to grab some if you need it.
I just got a memo at work that Jack Links will be increasing their prices by around 8% across all of the products that we carry. I don't know this part for fact, but I would assume it would also include the Matador brand that they make for Frito. The price changes go into effect in May.

[endurance]

If anyone has beef jerky as part of their stored food plan, now may be the time to grab some if you need it.
I just got a memo at work that Jack Links will be increasing their prices by around 8% across all of the products that we carry. I don't know this part for fact, but I would assume it would also include the Matador brand that they make for Frito. The price changes go into effect in May.

Only Wyoming changing their license fees would increase the cost of my antelope jerky.  Mmmmm, antelope jerky, nom-nom-nom-nom...

[kiteflyer]

Yeah, Kroger now has a Gas kick back on buying groceries! The public is so dumb because gas is why food is skyrocketing! Pretty soon they will have a wheel of fortune spin off at the cash register along with scratch -offs lotto tickets as pay outs!  Capitalism is dying fast with no oil to be had anymore. Keep the masses in a trance as you mesmerize them with the big pay out at the end of the rainbow! Have you ever seen the end of a rainbow? You never will!

                  kiteflyer

[Thox Spuddy]

Took a cruise through the 'Food Center' at Wal-Mart last night. They have a guard posted in the produce area to make sure nobody takes a bite.

[NWBowhunter]

Hunger forecast to become global reality
'The world needs food more than it needs iPhones'


Read more: Hunger forecast to become global reality
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=284789


Good facts about the productivity of having a garden and being self sufficient.

[BatonRouge Bill]

 I heard LDS will no longer be selling to non members. I was curious if that was just one area or if they were starting to see shortages. Anyone else know if this is true. A youtuber posted it.

[Thox Spuddy]

nwbowhunter: I followed the first link at that article and came up with a very interesting site:http://www.offthegridnews.net

[NWBowhunter]

It's an ad but does sound like an interesting newsletter. I sure much of the material is here on the forum.

[Nicodemus]

US Corn reserves Expected to Fall to 15-Year Low

"ST. LOUIS – Rising demand for corn from ethanol producers is pushing U.S. reserves to the lowest point in 15 years, a trend that could lead to higher grain and food prices this year."

[LvsChant]

Mises article about food storage as a means of investment:

http://mises.org/daily/5200/Guerrilla-Hoarding

[gobblerblaster]

I heard LDS will no longer be selling to non members. I was curious if that was just one area or if they were starting to see shortages. Anyone else know if this is true. A youtuber posted it.

,
I do not know if that is true or not but, I do know that they are experiencing some shortages because of the volume that members are buying at the moment. My folks where supposed to pick up some stuff back in March, at the OKC storehouse and the date was cancelled due to a shortage of most all their long term goods. They are re-scheduling it for July. It seems that many of the Mormons who have not heeded the advice to stock pile and are now trying to catch up as well as get their family in on it also. This is also coupled with the fact that everybody is a little more nervous than usual and are buying out of their anxiety due to the terrible economic and geo-political outlook.

[kiteflyer]

       I bought some from them last fall and they had decent prices for wheat and oats sealed in cans with free shipping! With The oil price jumping and fertilizer shooting up, well free shipping and cheap prices are going away and demand is up so I bet shortages are here to stay!

                          kiteflyer
 

,
I do not know if that is true or not but, I do know that they are experiencing some shortages because of the volume that members are buying at the moment. My folks where supposed to pick up some stuff back in March, at the OKC storehouse and the date was cancelled due to a shortage of most all their long term goods. They are re-scheduling it for July. It seems that many of the Mormons who have not heeded the advice to stock pile and are now trying to catch up as well as get their family in on it also. This is also coupled with the fact that everybody is a little more nervous than usual and are buying out of their anxiety due to the terrible economic and geo-political outlook.