Australia - Economic Collapse - Food Shortages

I've been reading alot about people stockpiling up on food and water etc etc, and not just for reasons of possible war ( survival etc ) but because it is possible that we might actually be hit with huge food shortages...

Well i've done some searching on the web, and I am not finding anything that even gives a hint of Australia facing any future food shortages...

I can understand food prices skyrocketing because of our economy, and i think there is a big possibility that it's not going to get much better anytime soon..

I don't wanna get caught with my pants down, and would rather have a cupboard full of 2 minute noodles than no food at all for whatever reason...

So what do my fellow australians think...

Is it nessacary to stockpile some food, if yes...why ?

Probably. You're still in drought, aren't you? Your exports will slow down because China's exports will slow down. Better safe than sorry.

I always laugh when I read posts like this.

What are you going to stockpile food for? So you can live in a society with total anarchy, no communications, no transport, & no life??

And someone with stockpiled food will be a prime target for violent hoodlums & thieves. How long do you expect to hang on to food for?

If you can afford to stockpile, I'd say do it anyway... But don't go overboard, the economy is not going to "collapse" in the foreseeable future.

But food prices are definitely going to rise.

A relatively meagre tray of T-bone steak is already pushing $40 bucks a pop - if that's the future, I'm not so certain I want to be a part of it.

reply to post by mattguy404


Thats what I am talking about, I don't see the world turning into anarchy, but i do see this economic crisis getting much worse before it gets better, cause all thats being done so far is short term solutions that's not going to help anyone in the near future..

I mean I work as a contractor, and my contract is due to end in 2 months, i work at a bank
( the shame ) now i don't know how easy it'll be for me to find work in 2 months, especially this time of year..

With food prices getting this high i was thinking of stockpiling alot of 2 minute noodles, some canned foods etc.


I mean ppl laugh at this, but not everyone has high paying permanent jobs, and if my contract doesn't get extended ( our bank is thinking of outsourcing our dept. to bangladesh ) it could take me a month to find another job, hell, who knows, it might take me 3 months, who knows ?

I shouldn't be negative, or paranoid...but i'd rather have a cupboard filled with noodles and canned foods if things turn bad...

I might pay $2.50 for a 6 pack of noodles now, but in 2 months i might pay $5 for the same pack of noodles...



[edit on 28-10-2008 by Alucard Hellsing]

[edit on 28-10-2008 by Alucard Hellsing]

Well I see no evidence so far of shortages... just price rises here and there.

My advice would be to stock up on some canned goods, dry foods, batteries, first aid items. If finances permit, a small rainwater tank would
be a good option rather than bottled water (which would be hard to get or unavailable if the fit does hit the shan) You do not need to go overboard but it can't hurt to be prepared. Just grab a couple extra items each time you shop. Do not go out an make it really obvious that you are hoarding foodstuffs or else you may attract the wrong kind of attention. Be select about who knows what you are doing.

If nothing happens then it is a bonus You can have a huge baked bean party

take care
res

reply to post by Alucard Hellsing


I've already started stockpiling. Mainly because cheap food is going to be hard to get in the near future. I've mainly invested in cheaper canned things like Baked beans (only 45c for generic brand) and tins of tuna, mackeral, flavoured tunas, savoury rice packets that only need water, I spent about $100 in extras last week and was pretty suprised by how much cheap canned stuff I got for the money. (Maybe I should shop like this all the time, I'd save a motza!)

This week I'm stockpiling casked water, toiletries, perfumes and anything else I think is going to become expensive as things get tighter.

Just remember, if nothing happens and life goes on as normal, you're going to have a lot food that won't go to waste. You can always use it.
so there is nothing to lose by stockpiling.

Adelaide has plenty of food and prices are actually dropping lately from an overinflated high.

The markets are overflowing with fresh fruit,vegetables,breads,fish and meat.

Anyone in South Australia check out the Junction Market [corner Grand Junction Road and Prospect Road.Or the Brickworks Market South Road Torrensville,Or Central Market Victoria Square City... plenty yummy chummy.

no panic here.

Godspeed

reply to post by Flighty


Think i'll do the same, getting paid tommorow ( FINALLY ) i know what hardship can be like after these few weeks, I was waiting to start another contract job 2 months ago, and didn't save up enough for the wait, and i sat without money for almost a month, spent all my money on rent, and had to smooch off my girlfriend for cash and food!!

Thats what got me thinking about what would happen if things really got worse, and that i'd much rather be prepared!!

What I normally would have done is when i got paid is buy everything I need, but that'd usually include mostly expensive stuff, and stuff i didn't need, and treating me and my gf to expensive dinners, and then before i know it im out of cash again till i get paid...

and i don't think this is the right time to be spending money the way i used to..

I'll be keeping an eye out for cheap canned goods and all that nessacary stuff,,,,mind you i have never seen a can of beans for 45cents here!!!


[edit on 28-10-2008 by Alucard Hellsing]

reply to post by Alucard Hellsing

I know you asked your fellow countrymen, but I hope you don't mind a citizen of the US replying. We are concerned with the current situation, and there is a thread we have been posting to, about this:
www.abovetopsecret.com...'

My point is that you might want to peruse the thread for ideas. Unfortunately, this crisis is world-wide, because all of the worlds' economies are so inter-dependent. Personally, I have been stocking food and supplies for quite awhile, and we rotate and use the oldest food. We currently have enough supplies for my wife and I, my children and our grandchildren, should things get bad. As someone on your thread said, it doesn't have to be food shortages, it could just be rising prices, or other bottlenecks. It's the age-old fable of the grasshopper and the ant.

I wish you luck. I just saw how the Australian dollar has dropped to a low just under 60 US cents. It seems like whatever is going on, is taking turns whacking countries, one by one. Finland just raised their interest rates to 18%. Russian is near default, England's bank crisis just keeps getting worse. No one seems immune. Here in the US, many, including myself have seen their retirement fund cut by 45-50% in one month. I won't even look at in online anymore, because it is too depressing. TV commentators tell us there is a silver lining in the clouds though, as gasoline prices are down. Great! I lose tens of thousands of dollars in my retirement fund, but I'm saving 50 cents a gallon. Whoopee!

reply to post by ProfEmeritus




Thanks for the thread...

Part of me wants to believe this is all planned, and it's simply a way for corporations to make more money, scaring people into buying more and more, and before you know it everything i snormal again and prices for goods are cheap again..

But then what if it's not, and things actually turn into a "great depression scenario"

reply to post by eldard


probably, another perspective, China exports alot of food produce into the global market, and with their crisis at the moment, such as Melamine tainted dairy products scandal is getting worst, in my country, Malaysia. we restricted even vegetables that is imported from china and the latest i heard egg that is imported from china is possibly tainted with melamine too

ever wonder how eggs can be tainted with melamine ?? well 1 thing for sure, in China, anything is possible.

my guess is, if we would face global food crisis, it is not just shortages, it will also involved contaminated food.

some of us, might be too far away from the melamine scandal that we might think it is contained only to China or even Asia Pacific region. but if it is left unchecked, it will probably be a global crisis sooner or later..

imho.

Australia has more than enough land to feed itself if it really comes down to an all out global crash. You won't starve.

You might, however, want to stockpile imported things you can't live without, like black olives and scotch. Imported things may get very expensive if the Aus$ keeps sliding.

Nothing much to note here, don't worry.

I can still walk down to the shops and get whatever I want.
Actually if you don't watch the news, you wouldn't know anythings going on.

Besides, if you guys still have food over there ( I think ), why wouldn't we here?

wait, on the other hand, melamine tainted eggs is reported, check out

CNN

Tainted eggs from Hanwei were discovered in Hong Kong late last week; melamine was present at nearly double the maximum permissible level. Health officials in Hong Kong say that there's little risk to human health -- and that a child would have to eat perhaps 20 eggs a day for the melamine to have an effect.

this is discovered in Hongkong

High content of Melamine in milk is fatal to infant..

The World Health Organization says that crystals have been found in the kidneys of some children. WHO's regional food safety expert Anthony Hazzard told Reuters Tuesday: "We believe at this stage that it's really the complex of melamine and cyanuric acid forming what you call crystals ... they can form in the small tubules [in the kidneys] and they get bigger and can block the tubules."

Originally posted by T0by
Nothing much to note here, don't worry.

I can still walk down to the shops and get whatever I want.
Actually if you don't watch the news, you wouldn't know anythings going on.

Besides, if you guys still have food over there ( I think ), why wouldn't we here?

completely agree here that unless one is watching the news, you can't even tell that there is something going wrong - especially when you are out shopping.

It does however make sense to stock up on some essentials which can always be used, but are always handy to have in case of a food shortage scenario. As some other people suggested, pick up a couple of extra canned items on your weekly grocery run. I have started to buy canned potatoes, peas, tomatoes, tuna, lots and lots of two min noodles & pasta, canned soft drink (which i never used to buy - but i figure it doesn't tend to have a use by date), rice, olive oil, long life milk etc. I have also found that buying a couple of kg's of bones from the butchers means that i have about three months of supplies to make stock in case nutrition needs to be kept up.

I have also started to buy meat in bulk and usually buy 20 to 30 kg's of assorted meat at a time and then freeze it. It just means that i don't have to do weekly grocery runs but also that I have atleast two months of meat on hand just in case things take a turn for the worst. I have been thinking of buying a large chest freezer as well just to help with the storage of things - there is only so much a standard fridge/freezer can handle.

For vegies, i am trying to start a vegie patch to help with things.

I too don't have a regular income and tend to get paid sporadically by my clients as well. So whenever I do get a big lump sum come my way, it goes into bulk buying groceries and the like - I find that by bulk buying things, I am stretching the dollar that much further as well as stocking up in case of a rainy day.

one other thing which is slightly off topic from food but is important nonetheless, is making sure all your gold & silver has recent certified evaluations and are not held in banks. I have found alternative storage for valuables which were till recently held in banks till i get a clear cut answer of if these items (gold, silver, diamonds) are also covered by the australian gov's recent bank guarantee.

reply to post by Alucard Hellsing


Great post my friend

I have been stocking food for a few months now and the looks i have recived from my girlfriend she thinks i'm nuts

One point that many people here in oz over look is (if) we have some kind of Natural disaster or a war of some kind Australia has only enough fuel to last 1 to 2 weeks and we all know NO fuel means No trucks No trucks no food to the shops and so on

Stock some food you never know when you will need it and if you can start your own veg patch it's great fun and the rewards are wonderful .

I started a veggie patch three weeks ago for three reasons.

One - to save money
Two - because you just never know
Three - home grown veggies taste great and you now what was put on them

I am luckier than some as I have a water tank and it is always overflowing. We have to get our sons to wash their cars to make room for the next downpour

Stockpiling is sensible and my philosophy is this - If peeps think I am nuts for being prepared then I think they are nuts for not (being prepared).


take care all
res

[edit on 29-10-2008 by resistancia]

reply to post by 04326


I'll come leeching off you if things go bad then

In Jarrod Diamond's book 'Collapse', Diamond talks about how the 'Lucky Country' could only support itself if it's population was reduced by 8 million.

He claims Australia is a country that cannot sustain itself without food imports.

The claim was challenged by a couple of University boffins, and a South Australian government official, stating that there is plenty of land, wheat, food etc...

However, the claim does make some sense and should be looked at seriously.

But, ultimately, if Australia did ever start running out of food, the supply chain would extend to New Zealand. With it's fertile lands and abundance of rain, Australians shouldn't fear. Almost half a million Kiwis live in there (sure, some with families of their own), they'd make sure the country wouldn't go without.