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The Takeaway explores the impacts of rising food prices on the nation
Monday, May 5 2008
Global food prices have risen dramatically in the past year — 57 percent, according to the United Nations' Food Price Index. That's particularly troubling for the global poor, who already spend most of their income on food. That may be hard for Americans to contemplate, but the same food pressures are being felt here, and the evidence is the price of your favorite foods in the grocery store aisles. The Takeaway talks with a dairy farmer in New Hampshire, a trucker in South Dakota, a pastry store owner in New York, and a Department of Agriculture economist.
A food price notice at Christie's (Jessie Graham)
Up 37 percent
Bread, white, pan, per lb. (453.6 gm, U.S. city average)
Up 16 percent
Bananas, per lb. (453.6 gm, U.S. city average)
Up 17 percent
Milk, fresh, whole, fortified, per gal. (3.8 lit, U.S. city average)
Up 23 percent
Eggs, grade A, large, per doz. (U.S. city average)
Up 35 percent
I'm certainly noticing prices rising but so far prices haven't prevented me from buying staples. I have re-shelved a few luxury items, such as high-quality jams. But long before rising food prices, my shopping has changed for ecological reasons. I will buy products with the least amount of packaging possible.
Posted by Jane Byron, 6:36 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
What surprises me is the ubiquity of corn in the food chain. While I'm not a farmer, I do know that, regardless of how you beleive bovines arrived on this planet, the fact is that their digestive systems are not designed to process corn. Their digestive systems are designed to process grasses, the introduction of corn only makes them sick and fat. So, why are the farmers feeding them corn? Particularly when that corn makes them ill and requires more-and-more drugs to keep them well and those drugs wind up in our food supply.
Am I the only person who thinks this is total madness?
Posted by George N. Wells, CPIM, 6:42 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
Oh please! The fattest fatties in the world are complaining about food prices? Americans spend about 10% of their budget on food and that includes fast food, wasted food, Poland Spring water in cities with excellent water and all those crappy tasting processed convenience food aimed at soccer moms ...and dads with more college education than elementary cooking skills. Give me a break.
Rick Evans
Posted by Rick Evans, 6:46 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
No change. I cook vegan (no meat, diary, or fish)from scratch, and buy mostly fruits, grains, veggies, and juices(no soda or junk food). I have the option of changing recipes if particular items increase in price.
Also, I buy organic, and have not noticed any major increase.
Jax
Posted by Jax, 6:52 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
I happened to tune it and heard John telling a baker that ADM had record profits and asking whom he blamed for high food costs -- the baker missed his cue and served up the Iraq war. I guess neither had heard of ethanol or China. Then John promised to visit the topic of government subsidies for solar baking ovens on a later date.
The last time I tuned in, John was making the Ambassador from Zimbabwe seem more statesman than street thug.
We will not be contributing to WNYC until this ignorant nonsense and its predictable conclusions are sent to that Great Coffeehouse In The Sky.
Posted by chernevik, 7:08 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
I help people build & rebuild farms locally.
The good part is that there is a huge resurgence of local family farms, even backyard farming.
So many people want to grow their own food, we can't keep up with the demand.
We just helped open ( another) community garden, in the City of Norwalk Ct.
The plots were sold out in an hour, and there is a waiting list of over 100 families.
We get calls every day asking to buy food directly from the farm, which grows veggies, beef, pork, eggs & chicken,turkeys, lamb & wool.
The return to local agriculture and realization that grazing is the way to raise meat, ( and that it should be an occasional LUXURY, if we do eat meat at all), is a good thing, and ofers hope that we can return to more self-sufficiency, and re-develop a sense of comminity.
NYC has more Comminity Gradens than I can count.
Hooray for local farms & farmers
Annie Farrell
Millstone Farm
180 Millstone Rd
Wilton CT 06897
203 834 2605
mobile 914 329 2054
veglady@mac.com
Posted by annie farrell, 7:09 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
I hate this show too, but it's not going away so how about some suggestions for how to improve it?
Here's mine: Provide listeners with great newscasts at the top of the hour and elsewhere throughout the show...without the inane banter and interruptions. Just give us hard newscasts like NPR gives us and then you can do whatever else you want to your hearts content.
Posted by Jay Slenth, 8:45 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
I submitted this already. Was it censored? To start a broadcast about starvation in Somalia, by saying something like "it's not a catering problem" is OBSCENE. Then we hear about a man complaining about a 90 cent bagel? This show's attempt to compete with talk radio is pathetic. I'd rather listen to right wing talk shows. Although I like both hosts, based on their prior work, this show is the most thoughtless program on all of public radio.
Posted by hank, 8:50 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
In America, food is just like gasoline. We've had the luxury of abundance. We consume too much and waste way too much. And yet people are going hungry right here in our own country, city and neighborhood. What we need is leadership to encourage and incentivise people to reduce, reuse and recycle. Having said that, I'm finding the pitch of The Take Away a bit shrill. "Crisis" refers to a situation that has reached a critical phase -- and application of that term daily is a bit too parallel for my taste to Fox News reminding us daily for 5 years that we're on "Orange Alert." Let's spend our time talking about what we can really do rather than whining about 90 cent bagels.
Posted by David Schrader, 2:15 p.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
In America, food is just like gasoline. We've had the luxury of abundance. We consume too much and waste way too much. And yet people are going hungry right here in our own country, city and neighborhood. What we need is leadership to encourage and incentivise people to reduce, reuse and recycle. Having said that, I'm finding the pitch of The Take Away a bit shrill. "Crisis" refers to a situation that has reached a critical phase -- and application of that term daily is a bit too parallel for my taste to Fox News reminding us daily for 5 years that we're on "Orange Alert." Let's spend our time talking about what we can really do rather than whining about 90 cent bagels.
Posted by David Schrader, 2:15 p.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
I listened to this show yesterday morning and it made my skin crawl. Weird, embarrassing tone, empty information. Lazy on air work. I should add here that I never post online comments on websites but I despised this show so much that I was forced into it.
Posted by PG, 5:53 p.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink
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- Finding opportunity out of underemployment (12/03/2008)
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- Travel woes continue in Bangkok as protesters declare victory (12/02/2008)
- Reaping the health benefits of gratitude with the science of thankfulness (11/27/2008)
- Pardon the turkey... and Scooter Libby, too? (11/27/2008)
- Tracking the underemployed amid a financial crisis (12/01/2008)
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Posted by Suzy, 6:32 a.m. Monday, May 5 2008 Permalink