How Are Food Prices/Availability In Your Part Of The World?

7/12/2020

Prices for most food items in Hungary have increased quite markedly (at least 10% for most things; as high as 50% for a few selected items) since the beginning of the birdemic in the middle of March. Since Hungary is practically food self-sufficient, availability is generally not an issue over here; however, some staples - imported fruits and vegetables, for example - are definitely in short supply.

At this point, it is difficult to ascertain the primary causes for the increase in food prices. On the one hand, it could simply be a matter of currency devaluation; the Hungarian national currency has dropped to roughly 355 forints to the euro, down from the roughly 330 forint level it occupied in March. That alone could account for the increases. On the other hand, the price increases could be attributed to supply chain disruptions. Perhaps both factors are at play.

In any event, I am curious to know what the current situation with food prices/availability is in other parts of the world.

Have you noticed any food price increases/food availability issues where you live? If so, what causes do you ascribe to these?

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Thanks to all who take the time to respond.

20 Comments

William James Tychonievich link

7/12/2020 12:07:29

No noticeable changes in Taiwan

Epimetheus

7/12/2020 13:25:00

Deep Rural Canada: no change in prices that I can tell, but it's been a little while since I bought produce.

Francis Berger

7/12/2020 16:00:04

@ Wm and Epi - Thanks for the responses, gentlemen. Based on what you have reported, I assume the price increases here are primarily due to inflationary pressure or something of that nature.

Sean fowler link

7/12/2020 18:37:57

Sweden. Not noticed any differences here.

7/12/2020 19:20:08

Thanks for the input, Sean. I have read a few articles about spectacular price increases in some parts of the world. The articles were rather sensationalistic, and I wanted to know if they bore any relation to the situation on the ground. Apparently not, which is good.

As for the price increases here, I would surmise they are likely currency-related (or a result of recent national wage increases).

S.K. Orr link

7/12/2020 19:22:43

I'm in the Appalachian Mountains in the southern USA, and food prices have risen about 15% across the board in the last month, BUT chicken is up more than 20% and beef is outrageous...about 30-35% higher in most grocery stores than it was a month ago. Also, the meat departments are growing thinner and thinner. I've been anticipating food shortages for some time now, and I expected to see them start in the middle of summer. Right on track...

The paranoid part of me has speculated for some time now that Someone wants to push us all towards vegetarianism/veganism. Observing most of the males I know who eat lot of soy products makes me think perhaps I'm not quite so paranoid.

Hope your toe is mending well, Francis. My right big toe has never been the same since I was a boy and opened our freezer and a frozen-solid can of cream soda dropped out and hit me right where the toenail disappears into the flesh (the "quick," is that it?). A night of pure a-go-NEE. I was convinced it looked like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, with the toe inflating to basketball size and back to normal again, over and over, all night long. Within a week, I lost the toenail. Funny how I spent an entire childhood without ever being taken to the emergency room. My mother would have been charged with neglect if I had been growing up in these times. Sorry to hijack the comment with my ramblings. The coffee was particularly good this morning...

7/12/2020 20:33:12

Thanks for the comment, S.K. I've read about meat plant closings due to the virus. These no doubt have an effect on the supply and, consequently, the price. Over an extended, this could certainly lead to shortages.

Toe is mending well. Pain is nearly gone - just lots of swelling. Forcing myself to remain immobile has been the most difficult part thus far.

Jeannie Whalen

7/12/2020 20:07:08

Berkeley, California. No remarkable change in prices. Yet.
Ample supply of fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat.

Just. The. Long. Stand-in-Line. Mandatory. Masks.
Fear also in amply supply....

7/12/2020 20:35:59

@ Jeannie Whalen - Thanks. That's good to hear - about the supply and prices, I mean. The other stuff, not so much.

Luke

7/12/2020 22:43:00

I'm in western PA, and there have been some odd things, about 2 weeks ago it was difficult to find ripe mandarin oranges and also ground beef was only being sold in 75/25 ratios at 2 stores I went to. Right now though supply is back. Eggs are more expensive, and chicken but beef and pork seem to be normal.
What ever was the result of the midwest flooding last year and delaying the season? I had forgotten about it, but I don't remember prices changing that much last year.

7/13/2020 08:42:31

@ Luke - Thanks!

Andrew

7/13/2020 03:07:26

I haven't noted price changes (Midwest US), but stores have struggled more to keep things in stock. Often an item we want is not available. Shortage of canned foods.

For a while we couldn't get any chicken, but it seems normal again now.

My local farmer-friend who supplies us with Beef is sold out in advance (at least until April of next year). Good business for the farmer, but it used to be that she had trouble selling all their stock and had extra shares on hand.

These could all be attributed to stockpiling/fear purchasing behavior rather than supply chain failures though.

I'm also keeping my eye out for supply chain failure.

7/13/2020 08:44:06

Cheers, Luke. Judging on the replies thus far, no general trend appears to be in place, which I interpret as a good thing overall.

Ulf

7/13/2020 08:02:40

@S.K. Orr. There is absolutely a push coordinated by the establishment to demonize meat, spike meat prices, confound the mind as to whether meat is of animal or vegatable origin (a confusion to which this generation of soy-vipers is evidently susceptible), glamorize the diet of slow starvation otherwise known as veganism, and of course to consolidate US meat production into the hands of a few corporate entities who, oddly enough, would rather be feeding you plant-based kibble. A good source on these matters would be the entertaining YouTube channel Primal Edge Healthy, maintained by the inimitable defector from veganism Tristan Haggard.

7/13/2020 08:41:54

@ Ulf - Little personal side note - I have a fairly wicked soy allergy, and about ten years ago I was alarmed to discover that American meat processors use soy protein and soy oil in many of their "meat" products. This practice is fairly common in Europe now, too. Same goes for bakeries; many sift soy flour into bread, rolls, and other baked goods.

Jake

7/13/2020 23:00:36

I'd say there's been about a 10% rise in some prices in the northern Plains region of the USA. Mean prices especially. I haven't been paying enough attention. I intend to hunt this fall, and start stockpiling some meat.

7/14/2020 10:29:17

@ Jake - Thanks. I really miss hunting on a regular basis. Hunting in Hungary is a highly-regulated privilege preserved for the rich and well-connected (or euro-laden tourists). Having said this, I have discovered ways to circumvent the system (shhhh), but these circumventions have to be meticulously planned and scheduled, which means they do not occur as often as I would like.

7/14/2020 21:03:31

I intend to start to learn to forage and hunt small game. I must start - well, I should have started yesterday. Things are very very odd here in the upper Midwest. I fear the governor will shut the economy down again soon any day. I don't intend to comply with mask orders. I have acquired much scientific research showing that the masks do no good. The local police have told me that they will not enforce any such "mandates."

Michelle

7/14/2020 01:22:46

Welcome back! I am in northern New York. In the first few weeks of the lockdown, just about anything in a can or jar was sold out. We had more recent shortages in eggs, flour, and yeast. It seems that everyone imprisoned in their homes have become bread bakers, including my spouse. The prices of meat and chicken and eggs spiked but have since come back down to pre-lockdown levels. The food stores here have made shopping for food such a miserable and painful experience that now I don't even shop for lower prices, I just grab and go. I refuse to wear a mask so I am a walking biohazard and am treated as such.
I tend to think many of the shortages happen because our media tell us a shortage and then people panic and start stocking up. Kind of like every year around our Superbowl (American football) I always hear that there's a Velveeta shortage. I'm not sure how there could be an egg shortage- its not like the hens stopped laying eggs or farmers, who generally can sniff out something like bulls@@t birdemic responses, would stop delivering eggs.

7/14/2020 10:34:40

Thanks for the great comment and observations, Michelle. That's a good point you raise about food shopping becoming a misery-inducing experience even in the absence of shortages and price hikes.

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