y'know, i've been reading about food shortages everywhere lately. from rice, to flour, to bananas, and even salmon.. which i heard from someone that somewhere in the US, salmon is $35 a pound!

i don't buy rice so i'm not sure what prices are high or low, i know there's a store by me that is selling 2lb bags of brown rice for $2.50. is that high?

the only thing i've heard about it lately is that about a month ago my BF's brother (that works stock overnight at my work, a wholesale club) said flour was being recalled. then starting a couple weeks ago, our 3lb bags of bananas went from $1.09 to $1.29 and there's a sign about shortage because of weather

the shortages are real, though we havent seen the major impact yet. all countries have supplies from previous harvests,  but each year, after less and less production, and more demand, overall, there is a shortage.
there have been fungus outbreaks w/ rice and as well as bananas.  bananas are all clones of one plant, so what befalls one, befalls them all, there is no genetic diversity to save them.
taking up land, too, for growing other crops for alternative fuels also takes away from rice agriculture. countries are paying more attention to industry and less so to agriculture.

basmati rice, which is typically a "high end" rice is one that isnt being affected as much in price. the cheaper rice, which is used to feed more, poorer people, will be most affected.

there is also a fungus that attacks wheat and it is on its way to india, pakistan, etc,which is a staple food for them. this jacks up the prices for everyone.
the funguses (sp?) is a pretty typical cyclical thing, it happens every couple of years apparently, but it seems that it is more of the convergence of all these things happening at once which is making it so much more expensive.

i have also heard that most smaller stores, small packages of grains and rice shouldnt be outrageous. it is the larger box stores (like costco, etc) that will be limiting amounts that you can buy. the biggest concerns are for the small businesses (like donut shops, pizza places, bakeries) where they may have trouble getting bulk grains, and/ or raising prices for customers.

Ill just eat potatoes!  ;)b

they are complaining about egg prices too.
i remember when i could get a dozen for 99 cents, now apparently, its like almost 350 for 12.
i heard on the radio that part of it is b/c people arent increasing the number of chickens they are roosting b/c the farmers have gotten screwed in years past,
the cost to feed the chickens has also gone up b/c of the price of grain (once again, why not cut out the middleman, or middle chicken, and just feed humans.  :-X)
and
b/c the *crazy animal rrights activists* are demanding more space than the 2x2 cage they are housed in and the farmers just cant spare the room, so their chicken population is down.
ugh.

The supply problems are real, yes--but so is the price gouging. Anyone who remembers the 1970's will be suffering from deja vu. First, it was the "energy crunch" caused by the "oil crisis". Then, stories of nature creating problems in Brazil fired the first of many "shortages"--the coffee shortage. This was followed by a meat "shortage", a sugar "shortage", a lettuce "shortage" and the list goes on. Prices were unreal, particularly for sugar and meat, as the middlemen saw their chance to make boocoos. At that time, Americans reacted with an attitude of "save and conserve". There were articles in popular magazines about how to get by with less, carpooling was all the rage, the "layered look" became fashionable as homes and businesses lowered their thermostats, and we were taught in school about saving heat, gas, etc.

A few years down the road we discovered that in the case of meat, sugar, flour and other staples, the "shortages" were down to stockpiling and price gouging. We all remember the Enron scandal, and when the damage from Katrina was trumpeted as the source of a terrible energy crisis, I saw again the 70's in the making. Yes, there will be real roots to the problem, but we can rest assured that big businesses will be right there helping to empty our pockets. (The return to 70's fashions makes the deja vu effect all the more eerie for those of us who were there the first time!)

These days, no one's buying compact cars, or even giving up their SUVs and minivans. People don't seem disposed to do without (VWers excepted, of course.) They complain, oh yes, but no one seems to see that part of the solution at least is in our own hands.

the car thing might be regional. i see TONS of SUVs/noncompacts all over the streets here. everyone is concerned about "the price of gas" but they don't think about taking the bus. i don't get it.

several people in my department live on the bus line to campus and still drive because its "easier" than waiting for a bus that comes every 10 OR 20 minutes (depending on what street/busline you're on). shesh.

Same here! I still see plenty of hummers (*massive anger*) on the roads (with only 1 person in them!) as well as other huge trucks and SUV's that city residents really don't need to be driving! Our buses are pretty full though--a lot of time it's standing room only--but yea--I know plenty of people who don't bother taking the bus for the same reasons BP said--"it's not convienent" OK...whatever...

yeah but what about the people (me) who don't even live near a bus line

I feel your pain Sariea.  Tampa has a lousy public transportation system.  I'm out in the burbs and it's a one mile walk to the nearest bus stop and my office is on the opposite side of the city from where I live and I would have to change buses twice to get there.  I'd love to get a Smart Car, but with so many SUVs on the road I'd be afraid for my safety in something so small.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/Random/smart.jpg

Our buses are pretty full though--a lot of time it's standing room only--but yea--I know plenty of people who don't bother taking the bus for the same reasons BP said--"it's not convienent" OK...whatever...

yeah but what about the people (me) who don't even live near a bus line

I wan't trying to be mean--obviously there are people who need to drive I defintely understand that--I just think it's rediculous for people to cruise around in hummers, etc. all by themselves when there are more eco-friendly cars.

Storm--OMG! I love the smart cars too! I saw a news clip on it where they took one through manhatten--it stood up pretty well to all the traffic and suvs--but the guy drining did say it was pretty freaky having those bigger cars up on them...they are supposed to be pretty safe too!

oh, i know you weren't trying to be mean. i was just asking. i agree, though, about the hummers. i get so annoyed when i see one, its like "why... why do you NEED a hummer??", at my local natural food store, they have these t-shirts that are really cool and i want one but the large is really small, i can't remember the brand, but they have a shirt with a hummer on it and it says "bummer"

have you guys seen the "air car"? it runs on compressed air. i think it is the french who have it, its made, have the protocol, all of it. they are starting to manufacture it there fall 08-09 and hope to bring it to america in 2010/11. yeah, we have to wait that long.
but its a cute car, it looks alot like the smart car.
i wouldnt be afraid to drive them if it were for the giant gas guzzlers ready to smoosh me.

what i dont understand is why hummers and other non efficient vehicles arent fined or something. even pick up trucks are ridiculous on gas mileage!

do you think the shortage has to do with free trade?  i learned a couple years ago in a sociology class about free trade rice from the us being sold in asia for super cheap, cheaper than theirs, and the prices running a lot of family farms out of business.  Without those farms, there would obviously be a shortage of rice from those countries.  other than from that class, i dont know too much about free trade, but thats the first reason that comes to mind, other than global warming affecting the crops.