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“The article isn’t about the economics of farming - its about the end cost on the table - and that is going to go up and not return.”

Well, food costs have been steadily rising since I started eating solids at age two. So, where’s the crisis? ;)

A Hershey Bar was a NICKEL the year I was born. It’s now 79 cents. 74 cent increase over 50 years. That’s pretty darn amazing! could it be that manufacturers took the same ingredients (coca, sugar, lard, whatever) figured out how to buy them when they are LOW during the year, and still managed to turn out a profit?

Why wouldn’t today’s food producers/manufacturers do the same? Did you know there are DOZENS of recipes for an Oscar Mayer Weiner? Yep. A family friend was the Spice Buyer for Oscar Mayer for decades and there are different formulas based on which spices were low and high at any given time of the year, so they could still make the same product at the same price year-round, year after year. I’ve always found that fascinating, but I’m easily entertained, LOL!

In 1964 a McDonald’s basic hamburger cost 15 cents. We all know how successful that company has been. Heck, their dollar menu is amazing, and they still turn a profit after all these years, and have blanketed the globe with their stores.

But, Corn Flakes are an obvious rip-off. ALL processed cereals are; but you can still eat oatmeal for pennies per serving.

It’s all relative. Staples are still comparatively VERY cheap and if people would get off their lazy butts and cook from scratch, it would be crystal clear to them how much cash they p*ss away each month on food alone. :)

The shear WASTE of food in this country is maddening to me! I don’t think we’ll see people starving in the streets anytime soon, no matter who is manipulating the markets and no matter who is in the White House, and no matter who believes in sunspots or global warming or any of that other ‘research’ published in haste to garner more grant money. ;)

http://foodtimeline.org/foodfaq5.html