"Skyrocketing food prices in 2022 have meant that the cash assistance we provide vulnerable families doesn't go as far," Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, the CEO of Mercy Corps, told Insider. "The main constraint to accessing food is decreased purchasing power coupled with increased food prices." -Business Insider
We heard about it last year.
I talked about it last year.
But it kind of feels like there wasn’t much of a shortage but let’s dive into it. There were some supply issues last year and a few of us, myself included, snapped some photos of empty shelves at the grocery store. While this paled in comparison to 2020, it was there and when looking deeply into the problem, is actually, much more concerning.
2020 and 2021 were caused on two fronts, panic buying, the great toilet paper shortage will live in infamy, and lockdowns forcing workers to stay home. This year’s shortages haven’t shown themselves so much in empty shelves as it has increased food prices. Granted I know inflation is happening and that drives up prices but inflation alone isn’t to blame.
Let’s look at eggs. For as long as I can remember eggs, were $2 or less per dozen. Now I and many of my readers I’m sure, raise chickens for eggs, but most people do not. My visit to the grocery store earlier this week found eggs, not the brown free range, but the white store brand, sitting at $4.99 per dozen of medium-sized eggs. Why?
Avian Flu.
It hasn’t been in the headlines much but the truth of the matter is that huge amounts of egg-laying chickens have been culled this year because of Avian Flu. We’re moving in Thanksgiving, and Turkey is projected to be in short supply this year as well.
Last year turkey was $.98 per pound at Walmart, two days ago it was $2.14 per pound. Talking to the manager, he told me to buy now and stick it in the freezer because he expected it to go up before the holidays.
What about other foods? Remember the Ukraine war? There has been a shortage of fertilizers. Russia and Belarus are the world’s largest exporters of synthetic fertilizers, something global food production relies on. Guess who is using less fertilizer because they can’t afford the higher prices? Farmers. With less being used, crop yields have been down this year.
What does this mean going forward? Several articles I’ve read have quoted many experts and the general consensus is the same across the board. Fertilizers will become even more expensive if the war continues and sanctions are kept in place or tightened. There is an option for us though.
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