All the recommended policies are right on. My only concern is that we don't have a financial reserves anywhere in the system. It could be a pretty darn hard fall -- but a good start with be some tax increases on the stockholders, directors and management that got us into a financial mess. Can we do retroactive taxes? That would be nice!

Recent spikes in food prices can be tied directly to the biofuel boom engineered by the Bush administration (and supported, to be fair, by Congressional Democrats, including the leading presidential contenders"

I think you are overstating this Tom. As you know, commodity prices comprise a very small portion of total food price. in your loaf of bread, there may be 4 cents worth of wheat. a $4 box of cornflakes has like 7 cents of corn in there, even with $5 cown. (at under $2 corn, which is what corn was at for a looong time, it's like under 3 cents).  and when corn was cheap, food prices didn't necessarily go down (see Food and Water Watch report on this). most of the increase in food prices is due to the high price of oil/energy, which goes into the processing, transport, packaging of our industrial food system. shows why comparative advantage and the free trade model to import cheaper food produce might be falling apart soon.

plus, check out the profits of General Mills (makers of Yoplait and Cheerios)...up 61% this quarter! Agribusiness controls food prices way more than commodity prices and farmers at the mercy of the Chicago Board of Trade for their prices.

Thanks for your stressing the reserve. We submitted this letter to the LA Times that was published today on the follies of not having a reserve right now.

Strategic grain reserve is needed

Re "Our daily bread? It costs more," March 16

This article documents the effect rising wheat prices have had on bakers. It is important to note that as recently as 2002, wheat farmers were receiving less than $3 per bushel, lower than 1970s prices. These depressed prices drove thousands of family farmers out of business while food processors' and agribusinesses' profits skyrocketed. Just as some bakers have little market power to control the price of wheat, farmers have little control over the price they receive for their commodities.

We agree with the need to create a strategic grain reserve and believe it is urgent to revive farmer-owned reserves, as most civilizations have had, to better protect food processors, farmers and consumers. Leaving our food security to the whims of the global markets is a recipe for disaster. Twenty-dollar wheat is a threat to our food system, but $3 wheat is every bit as unacceptable.

Katherine Ozer

Executive Director

National Family Farm

Coalition, Washington

Try eating lower on the food chain. You'll save money on food, and medical bills later.

- I know its too simple. -
Javaearth aka The happy vegan.

Oh did I mention a Vegan diet is better for feeding the hungry people of this world. Stop feeding the grains to animals, and feed the hungry people.

Over 95% of the US would rather suck up the resources and pollute the planet, just so you can eat your diseased and dead animals.

Sad really.

If higher prices cause people to put fewer eggs, milk and cheese products, particularly those that come from factory farms and feedlots, in their grocery carriages, that can only be a good thing. Most Americans eat far too much protein as it is, and this over-consumption of protein has a number of negative health effects.  While it seems that the price of all foods is rising, the price of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms, seeds, nuts and other vegan staples will probably still be more affordable than animal products.  Like the above said, help your wallet, help your health, help the planet and help the animals by eating lower on the food chain.  

I agree that eating lower on the food chain would be a boon for everyone, whether people adopt a strict vegan or vegetarian diet or simply adjust amounts of what they eat. However, in terms of percentage cost, has any foodstuff gone up as much as fresh fruits and vegetables over the past decade or more? The price of oil, and thus of gasoline, raises transport costs, which in turn make food costs go up real fast, no matter where on the food chain they are.

I'm all for people eating lower on the food chain and eating more fruits and veggies, but there's no way to dodge the economic hurt of rising food prices completely.

I agree with many of the comments made so far. But I also have to point out that, at least where I live, the "eat local" movement -- and in particular the "eat local and organic"  movement -- has become trendy enough to make it unaffordable for a lot of folks. The fact that it's a strong trend is of course a very good thing, but it also once more throws a lot of these issues into an elitist framework. While I'm lucky enough to be able to eat local and organic and to otherwise follow sustainable practices, I do think that the high price tag edges out the majority of consumers. There has to be a way (the million dollar question) to make these sustainable approaches to our food supply both solid and attainable.

In addition to the "trendy" problem, it sounds like you either don't have enough farmers in your area competing to lower prices and improve quality Or you have "middle-men" inflating the prices.

Fruit and vegetables in season bought directly from the farmer are generally cheaper than their counterparts in the grocery stores. In many areas, high volume produce like tomatoes, sweet corn, and summer squash, to name a few, are so abundant at the peak of their season that farmers practically give them away. The trick to saving money later is to figure out ways to store those veggies for times when the farms in your region are producing less. It takes some creativity, research, and effort, but it is possible. I'm still making sauces from local organic tomatoes and peppers that I got free last fall because our CSA had such a bumper crop and didn't have the resources to get it all harvested.

Best of luck.

That is INSANE!  I live and work in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and have been riding the bus to work for 3 years now.  I love it!  I get to read and listen to my MP3 player while the poor suckers in their cars suffer from road rage.

After the 35W bridge collapse last August, many businesses offered discount transportation passes to their employees.  Now the only problem is that we don't have enough seats to go around for everyone!

Even though having a garden may not provide wheat, soy, or for some corn, you will be saving money by eating your own home-grown produce. I am starting for the first time this year and can't wait. My mother has had a garden every year since I was a child and I have benefited from her surplus, but this year I will be benefitting from her gardening savvy.

I also work for an organic supermarket and receive a discount on all of my purchases, which really is helping right now. CSA's are also a great way to help farmers and receive weekly produce.

I am an omnivore, but all of the horrors I have witnessed about confinement practices and the callous disregard that some of the workers have for these poor little beings have encouraged me to really cut back on my meat consumption. I only eat organic free-range meat and since I work in an organic supermarket, I know exactly who owns the ranch and what their stewardship practices are.

There are solutions out there, we just have to get up off our butts and look for them. Sometimes that seems very difficult for some people, sadly.

what an amazing article; I think you covered every base!

Keep 'em coming!

thanks...