Food prices are too high
To the Editor:
To establish a baseline, acknowledge that there are various factors that influence prices at the grocery store. They include production, distribution, salaries, profit for the chain and store maintenance. Having said that, some things just don’t add up.
Food prices have increased by 25% since 2020, while overall income has only increased by 19%. Most of the price increase occurred in 2022. Since then, the increase was 7.4%. In 2023, prices increased by: 9% for fats/oils, 8.4% for cereals/bakery, 1.4% for eggs and pork prices declined by 1.2%. Price growth slowed across all categories from 2022. In June, average price rose for eggs (3.5%), baby food/formula and beef (5% higher than last year) and milk. Some uncertainty persists, particularly for eggs (avian flu) and beef (drought affecting herd size) prices. For beef, meat processors have improved efficiency which resulted in decreased competition in the market. Fresh vegetables/fruit and pork have fallen in price.
“Grocery prices have been running much higher than average inflation and grocery profit margins have been quite high as well.” said Lindsay Owens, executive director of Washington think tank Groundwork Collaborative. “And while the input costs come down, grocery prices are still high, and that is a problem for many families who are trying to keep food on the table.” Grocery stores and food producers have said high costs for labor and supply chain disruptions have been keeping prices high.
The percentage of household income used for food is at a 30-year high — 11%. In North Carolina, a single person spends $303 each month and a family of 4 spends $1,064. But, what about families that make less than $51,482 (averagg income Jackson County)? About 19.4% of Jackson County residents live in poverty. In their cases, food might cost 20 or 25% of the monthly expenses.
How does a person cope with elevated food prices? The most common ways are to decrease meat, cut down on snack items and buy store brands. Also, there is an increased use of food pantries in the county. Gardens can help. There is not extra money for eating out.
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Food prices depend on many factors. They are predicted to increase over the next year by 1%. Just because you choose to vote a particular way does not mean your food cost are going to decrease and you are not going to get wealthy.
Susan Bogardus
Cullowhee
