Food Crisis to Occur in 2011 (Forbes)

Every month, JPMorgan Chase dispatches a researcher to several supermarkets in Virginia. The task is to comparison shop for 31 items.

In July, the firm’s personal shopper came back with a stunning report: Wal-Mart had raised its prices 5.8% during the previous month. More significantly, its prices were approaching the levels of competing stores run by Kroger and Safeway. The “low-price leader” still holds its title, but by a noticeably slimmer margin.

Within this tale lie several lessons you can put to work to make money. And it’s best to get started soon, because if you think your grocery bill is already high, you ain’t seen nothing yet. In fact, we could be just one supply shock away from a full-blown food crisis that would make the price spikes of 2008 look like a happy memory.
Fact is, the food crisis of 2008 never really went away.

True, food riots didn’t break out in poor countries during 2009 and warehouse stores like Costco didn’t ration 20-pound bags of rice…but supply remained tight.

Prices for basic foodstuffs like corn and wheat remain below their 2008 highs. But they’re a lot higher than they were before “the food crisis of 2008” took hold. Here’s what’s happened to some key farm commodities so far in 2010…

Corn: Up 63%
Wheat: Up 84%
Soybeans: Up 24%
Sugar: Up 55%

Full article here
blogs.forbes.com...

Think about it, Forbes is now telling us there will be a food crisis in 2011.
It is now so bad, that even mainstream media can no longer look the other direction.
How many of you are preparing for this?
I have been monitoring prices for the last several years, and the hikes are terrifying.
Old folks are now having to choose between food medicine and heat.

Where does it end?

Just a though, but I couldn't help but wonder what this would do to the stock market.
I tried to investigate a little, and although food prices are going up, it remains very unstable.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months.

Soybeans are just 24% percent up... we could just eat soybeans... if they are the cheapest. Soybeans, soybeans - everybody loves them!

oh kill me now!!!

Remember if you and your family are out of food and water you are out of luck unless someone helps you. What will people do if the food runs out? I think we all know. Higher food prices that is a give. ^Y^

Food prices will continue to rise, yes. The economy is crumbling, yes. That cheap barbecue pit from Walmart is still going to rust and fall apart in days, but it will be more expensive, yes. There will be food lines in major cities, yes.
I am not psychic, any fool can see what is coming. Only a bigger fool would deny it.

It would be wise to learn to make do with less. Learn to eat smart. Raw vegetables, fruits, homemade beer...

I hear McDonalds food makes good insulation. Never breaks down, molds, or rots. Stuff it in the walls to keep the cold out. Buy when there is a special. The 99 cent stuff might be the best way to go.

It seems to me that the blogger writing was just a bunch of what ifs? Food prices may be headed up some, that has always been based on the harvest, supply and demand. I saw no conspiracy here stated, such as intentionally reduced harvests. So is this guy is just asking a bunch of what ifs, ie natural disaster, drought,etc, but has no basis for actually predicting these events then to me it's hardly worth a read.
Let's not make crisis were there is none, we got plenty crisis without making a new one.

Vegetables here in Canada last year alone, jumped 22% by government stats.
This is not slowing down.
I expect hyperinflation to kick in shortly.
Just watching the price of Gold and silver clues you to that

Its interesting to note that our grandparents always kept a large supply of food around. Now we head to the store some, by the day. Each store has a twenty four hour supply. Shipments stop, your SOL.
Put some away.

reply to post by shoulda taken the blue pi


Good idea. I always keep a plastic container filled with bags of rice and dry beans, in the event of our demise.
But it's the fresh fruits and vegetables that we will be outta luck for. And if wheat disappears, there goes our bread and pasta. Hm. Might stock up on pasta, too. It should keep well. I simply hate canned foods for the most part. But one does what one must do, I suppose. What's it hurt?

Stock up on seeds people......

I grew my first garden this summer in an area appox 25 ft by 40 ft useing about 40 bucks worth of seeds , still have about a third of them left too....

I grew appox , 200 pounds of tomatoes, picked 2/3 when green so more would grow/made chow/relish etc., from just 12 plants.(transplants) ( I found Big beef eater the best plant ) made salsa , sauces with the red ones, oh and had a lot of toasted red tomatoe sandwiches....yummie

Harvested:

100 pounds of potatoes

80 pounds of turips /rutabags

60 pounds of carrots

60 pounds of parnips

60 pounds of beets/ pickeled most of them , cooked and ate some.

25 butternut winter squash, its one of the best winter keepers, makes one of the best currie squash soups I have even tasted...

25 bean plants ...pulled and dried them with beans attached , didnt remove the beans yet.

15 green pea plants , ate most when freah off plants , then plants dies early for some reason , blit or something.

20 basil plants , dried whole plants , frozen some , even salted of jar of basil leaves.

planted 100 onion bulbs , harvested appox 90 , dried in wood shed , used about a third in pickles etc.


Some seeds will keep for like 6 years or so if keep in the right temp, some seeds like parsnips seeds only have appox 2 year life span if keep at proper temp.

Do some research for your self ...it might just save your life......

Also if you noticed I planted mostly root crops that store well in a root celar that does not need eletricity..just incase the power system fails...you will still have food most of the winter....

Personally I don't think it's yet time to stock up on foods, but that's just my opinion. Instead, I'm making small silver purchases every Friday. When the time comes to stock up, I'll do so but I think we're a solid year away from any serious situation that will necessitate long-term storage. I want the food to be as fresh as possible. I may be being really foolish here or not, time will tell all. I do have 50# bags of brown rice and black beans, but that's all I'm doing until I see signs of serious food shortages and/or hyperinflation. I know people keep claiming that the food shortages are here, but in reality .. it has yet to hit anything but 3rd world nations.

Well , if you had space to plant a garden but didnt want to do it just yet I would still buy some seeds and put them in a jar ( still in their packaging) , put the jar in the back of the fridge, they should last 2 to 6 years depending on the kind of plant.

I mean whats 40 bucks anyway, its some peace of mind for the next 6 years if it happens that you need to plant some of you own food etc.

Heck I know lots of people who go out in one night and drink that amount if not more , then piss it away the next day.

One reason I wanted to plant a garden this year was to see what mistakes I could/would make , I made some mistakes but I wont make them next year......( I might make different ones though ) ...hehe

I will tell you though that it is tremendously satisfying growing you own food , and not to mention the fact you "know" there are no pesticides in the food you are about to consume.......

There won't be a food shortage! Why you may ask. Because agriculture farming in America is big business as is the processing of raw food into the chips and crap we subsist on. Big business calls the shots in the US and the government props them up so the stock holders can keep getting their dividend checks. It's the same with the energy company subsidies. The laws of supply and demand are old thought. Speculation now rules the day. Thats why prices fluctuate.
Also America is the worlds bread basket and exports more food than you can possibly imagine. That's not going to change. It's just business and business is looking up for a change. At least mine is.....cotton and onions.

About metals....when the prices go thru the roof and you need to cash in some coins or bullion; no ones buying so essentially your metal is worthless when you can't sell it.

No reason to panic.......yet........when the www. goes down then you have a real reason to worry as civilization is completely dependent on 11111111s and 00000000s.

Originally posted by whaaa
There won't be a food shortage! Why you may ask. Because agriculture farming in America is big business as is the processing of raw food into the chips and crap we subsist on. Big business calls the shots in the US and the government props them up so the stock holders can keep getting their dividend checks. It's the same with the energy company subsidies. The laws of supply and demand are old thought. Speculation now rules the day. Thats why prices fluctuate.
Also America is the worlds bread basket and exports more food than you can possibly imagine. That's not going to change. It's just business and business is looking up for a change. At least mine is.....cotton and onions.

Ding ding ding.... but

Originally posted by whaaa
About metals....when the prices go thru the roof and you need to cash in some coins or bullion; no ones buying so essentially your metal is worthless when you can't sell it.

Just not so. There's a sucker around every corner.

Well we've made dang sure to have plenty on hand, as the month of November is stacking up to be pretty nasty. I mean, elections, terror threats, wacky predictions, solar activity, you name it: it has been forecast for November.

I haven't gone complete "survival nut"...yet... but I have made sure that our own garden produce is canned, and I have made sure to have enough flour, salt, pepper, cornmeal, etc. on hand. Enough for several months, anyway. If it goes beyond that, well, we probably won't be staying where we currently are, anyway. You can't travel litely with a 100 qts of peas!

So all I can say is "bring it!"

reply to post by Reevster


Wow! You must have been busy preserving all that. I planted 36 tomatoes and canned sauce, stewed tomatoes and salsa for days it seemed. I'm so sick of tomatoes! Have it all put up though and that's a good feeling. But it is a lot of work and it takes practice. My advice for people would be to get started and learn now so you know what you're doing because it's something that requires time and preparation and organizational skills.

reply to post by shoulda taken the blue pi


This is a great thread and something that's really important to me, as I have two kids and spouse and my teenager eats alot. I have noticed that Walmar's prices have gone way up. I used to go there specifically because their prices were low but not anymore. I shop locally and buy what's on sale and buy my meat at the local food locker/butcher shop. I keep telling myself, the next paycheck I'm shopping for my stockpile, but its hard to do! But if prices are going up even more I need to just do it. Good info here, thanks!

First of all, thanks to the OP for a well supported warning. We all know this is gonna happen soon but as a natural reaction, we refuse to believe it and get prepared. S&F.

One advice I can give : I bought a manual crank grain grinder about a year ago. I can make flour of any kind of grain or bean. We tried at home many times and combining different types we made soups, fried bread, hot sweet drinks and other foods.

Some good options to blend I recommend :

Millet (Mentioned even in the Bible) - Lentils - Dry Fava - Garbanzo. (The last 3 are very cheap).

Since it works with a crank, energy is not a problem. The one that I bought cost me about 50 US$ only in a supermarket and it's made of metal, so it will last longer. Also, there is a similar one, but for meat only.

Soon, this things will be hard to find brothers, please consider my little advice.

reply to post by Stewie

Originally posted by Stewie

homemade beer...

Just advocating the bare essentials I see. May I also suggest you stock up on porno mags should the internet go down.