How has the increase in food price affected you or your friends?

Question

I don't see a lot in the news about this. I believe the coverage thus far is being minimized. The reports I see seem to be inaccurate. Recently I read reported increases of 5% on certain items and so forth but I see 30% to even 50% on some things at the store. Yesterday the apple juice I used to buy for $2.99 was $3.89-almost 33% increase, sugar $2.99 from $1.99-almost 50% (white death, I know), and pasta almost 50% as well. I could go on and on. How has this changed your shopping habits and what do you foresee will happen to our economy as a result? While I was walking around in shock, I couldn't help but notice the employees who earn little money per hour working there. Their wages have remained the same.

Answer 1

You can thank, among others, the all-knowing folks in Washington who mandated that foodstuff be turned into expensive ethanol.  

Answer 2

My wife and I are more selective on what we buy and when. If something is cheap, we buy bulk and make a few meals with it, then freeze it. We're going to more basic foodstuffs, less processed foods (healthier anyway), so fewer frozen dinners and lunches, more homemade calzones, stews and stir fries. We're drinking less milk (I used to go through 2 gallons a week on my own) and if we're shopping near a Trader Joe's (half an hour away) we'll pack a cooler and swing by to load up on less expensive seafood and tofu (cheap source of protein). We're also buying a lot of generic cereals and take advantage of the $10 off $50 coupons at Shop N Save (sometimes making two trips in one day if the list is big enough).

There was more coverage before the primary season - economic trends occur over long stretches of time, so there isn't much to update on a frequent basis as there is with elections.

Time or Newsweek had an in-depth story on this in November. I know the local paper (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) also had a story on this back in September, citing price increases like you've just described.

Here are some citations for Wall Street Journal articles: