Hello 2013

Here’s hoping you all had a nice holiday, had a chance to relax, catch your breath and get ready to face the New Year and apparently, 2013 will present challenges to be faced.  It is now two days before the year ends and I sincerely hope there will be some last-minute agreements reached, but according to the news reports, that seems doubtful.  If Congress fails to act, we can expect to see the consequences reflected in many aspects of our lives, not the least of which will be the cost of feeding our families.

There are actually three contributing factors to the rising food prices. The first, last summer’s drought is a reality whose effects are already starting to be seen. The failure of the grain harvest, and don’t forget corn is a grain too, affects all food products from pet food to pasta, essentially everything except fruits, vegetables. Meat and dairy are not exempt either. As I discussed several months ago, less grain means less feed for livestock, and higher prices for the supplies that are available. This in turn has resulted in culling the herds and flocks which will eventually result in higher meat prices, lower production of dairy products, and of course higher prices for those items as well. This problem alone, led Consumer Advocates and other experts to foresee a rise in food prices of at least 5% is year, 1% to 2% higher than previous years, with no reverse in the trend until 2020 at the earliest. These forecasts were made in September, before the other two factors were headlines.

The other two contributors to the higher cost of food in general are not yet realities, and, if congress acts in time, may still be avoided. The first of these which I discussed a few weeks ago is The Farm Bill. With all the attention given The Fiscal Cliff, I’ve only heard this subject mentioned twice in the news. The first time was a brief reference early the morning of Dec. 26^th and the second on a talk show the morning of Dec. 29^th Around since 1949, this bill provides the farms subsidies and allows the Department of Agriculture to set price ceilings. Usually it’s automatically renewed, the only changes being the amounts involved. Late last summer, farmers became concerned about it raising controversy because there were provisions for food stamps and school lunches attached to it. Then it became overshadowed by the snowball on the cliff. If it dosen’t pass in time the projection is that milk, for example, will double in price by Feb. 1^st and with no limits will continue to rise to as much as $10.00 per gal. by June. That’s a huge jump and a big expense for families.

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Needless to say, given this scenario of probable reasons for price hikes, last summer’s prognosis of 5%, even “at least” seems positively rosy. I can only hope that the Farm Bill isn’t allowed to expire and we avoid the Cliff. At this point the only certainty is that it will cost more to eat in the 2013 than previously. The only solution I can see is to learn to cope. After all, the situation is caused by an act of nature and the inaction of Congress, neither of which we can change.  So that will be my focus for the New year: Helping all of you to see possible adjustments in your menu planning, food buying and prepping routines to make your adaptation to the price changes easier while working within your preferred diets.

That’s my resolution!!! Welcome aboard if you want to join me!!