The newly increased cost of eating healthy....Serious question

Any food industry insiders here?

Googling this points to the same old supply and demand, which is usually just an excuse. There is usually a real reason why prices on anything go up sharply. I'm not one to take automatic responses as truth.

Are there less vegetables and live stock available? (prob not)

or

Is the shortage of truck drivers making no place for distributors to keep it as it piles up (no more warehouse space, product spoils).

or

Is this just an excuse to get greedy during this prolonged covid event?

or ???? What else?

The supposed truck driver shortage sounds crazy. Ive read as the old guys retire, there are less young guns who what to do this. If your single, not a homebody, apartment dweller, and dont fall asleep at the wheel,... OTR trucking sounds like a great way to see the country. Maybe not for your entire work life though. Healthy "20 somethings" cant live free with mom and dad forever.....why dont they need jobs?

Another, new price wave increase just hit the north central US....again!!

Some examples : My glutan free canyon bake house bread was 4.95 at walmart for the last three years, and just jumped to 6.50 in one week. Its 6.99 at target now.

Vlasic dill pickles (my fav) were 3.50 to 4.00, now 4.99 to 5.99.

Im glad Aldi increased their area range, but there shelves are getting thin, prob due to increased customers.

Yes housing is an issue. But - Trucking which was my example, pays well enough (not retail pay) to pay apartment rent without a col degree, unless your in some huge expensive city, then near no-one can afford it. And your not in direct covid contact. Trucking should not be losing drivers right now, should look more attractive today then in the past.

My buddy drives a local dumptruck (not his truck) for $30 per hr after a short state course and cert / comm license, hes not specially talented in anyway, but has the relaxed mindset to drive most of the day. The worst part is small cars stopping on a dime right infront of him.

I worked several labor and retail repair jobs when I was young......and competed on Sundays. Not out of the ordinary except maybe for those born into a well to do family.

As far as reaping tax benefits from the young (?)....um.....I'm still working age, with one and a half jobs depending on season and paying taxes up the wazu like most average Americans. No McMansion here lol. And this is what the generation did before me.

Post Edited (astroman) : 1/30/2022 12:28:10 PM (GMT-7)

PurpleLight said...
[ Nobody wants to live in an apartment for the rest of their life.

Many healthy people do, in the past as well.

This is getting side tracked but - If one is healthy (not lymies) living in a parents place- work several jobs while living there (free or very cheap) so you can save. Why not? Thats taking full advantage of the situation.

And if your pay can exceed rent, (my example of trucking can do that) you save money for the future.

A younger friend, average Joe, CAD drafter that pays less than trucking (with a two year tech cert) , with a weekend job too, did that 15 years ago and bought a new small home with cash in a small town after (ya, he surprised people). It can be done. He worked his but off...while living at home. No new cars, old beater pick-ups. Took advantage of the situation as best as he could....and reaped the rewards. One of the most fugal people i've known, but he had a plan and came thru with it. It took common sense, will power, and desire.

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Post Edited (astroman) : 1/30/2022 1:49:34 PM (GMT-7)

Hey dcd, I remember now, thats kind of up your alley....thanks for your viewpoint.

fingers crossed

Post Edited (astroman) : 1/30/2022 1:42:15 PM (GMT-7)

I worry very much. Having a chronic illness ( and one where MUCH of our treatment is out of pocket) I don't know how people do it, or do it with children.

It kills me when doctors tell us eat healthy as possible, go organic, do this and that. Even for someone not treating Lyme it can be rough.

We've had these discussions at my job. WHERE ARE THE WORKERS? You're seeing so many restaurants, grocery chains and stores in desperate need of workers, some of these places paying more than what I make! Come on!

I live in New England. The housing market in my state is scary. Renting and finding affordable and decent apartments? Ha, forget it. Some of these apartment rents are more than a mortgage.

Sunflower1920

- eating the right food groups for your situation (and avoiding others), is prob more important than organic. Still spendy right now, but a little less.

PurpleLight said...

The real problem is where this country is going. Power and control in the government, trying to control people, that's the problem. Evilness. Or more specifically, the ones the government answer to. Which isn't the people anymore.
.

^^^^ This is what’s really going on, and it’s global, not just in the US.

A friend of mine is a small-time food producer and had to raise his prices. Prices on electricity and fuel have gone up, and a lot of the suppliers have increased their prices because of that. Shipping also is more expensive than before.

Inflation is also very high.

To answer the question, one must touch on politics. So skip this if that triggers you in any way. I have no intent or desire to argue these points, especially in a Lyme forum where people are hurting.

A year and a half ago, we were energy independent. After several moves such as shutting down the Keystone pipeline, lately the administration has been begging Russia to release more petroleum to keep global prices down. Fertilizer is made from petroleum, so prices have increased accordingly.

We have ships off our coasts waiting for several weeks to unload, while the Sec of Transportation, formerly a mayor, takes six weeks paternity leave.

We have had trillion dollar bailouts and infusions, laden with massive ideologically driven pork, driving an inflation we haven't seen in a long time. Inflation is a general tax on the economy, making dollars of less worth, raising prices on everything, disproportionately hurting the poorest, who least can afford it. It is the most despicable of taxes.

We have had over 2 million illegal immigrants cross our southern border last year, using government and public resources, mostly on the taxpayer dime. This produces shortages and drives up the prices of everything, including housing and goods and services.

We have had a huge federal push to mandate vaccines, causing worker shortages in many sectors, including transportation, putting more people on unemployment, raising prices.

The lockdowns have severely damaged the economy, and small businesses in particular, affecting availability and pricing of products.

The pandemic has been the greatest forced wealth transfer in history, from the middle class to the wealthy.

Were I to argue, I would say that this has all been intentional at the highest levels. The country is being burned to the ground in order to bring in an elitist, globalist new world order. We see the politicians' real mindset every time they are caught maskless, after imposing masks on us. They want to rule, not govern. And a greatly reduced population serves their narcissism very well. But I will not argue.

Well, Ill admit I wasn't so sure I should have made this post,............due to the possibility of it attracting conspiracy and/or strong feelings vs technical info in addition to what most of us average but informed people already know.

That said, I just noticed you cannot delete your own post/thread here other than make it blank or edit it, only ones own comments can be deleted.

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Yes there is obvious inflation, but that is not affecting all retail products in the same way. Some products in addition to food that are even really hard to find, still have not had much price increases at all, yet they went thru the same means to end up on the shelf.

Food prices aren't just all increasing the same though, so its not a sudden same price percent increase across the board. Which means its individual companies, distributors or what logistics are involved with a particular food product or brand..

I went back to Aldi, a German owned grocery store in America. Price increases there were not nearly as high of percentage increases as other places, I know price history on what I buy there. Their trucks use the same fuel as the others here, they pull from the same group of people for store employees (and pay well to boot) but most products are generic "in house" brand.

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Post Edited (astroman) : 2/1/2022 8:52:57 AM (GMT-7)