The severe drought that was all the news last summer is now making itself known all over again in the prices you’re paying for food this spring. As Forbes Magazine reported last September:
“This year’s drought has been the worst since the 1950s. Farmland that was scorched by July was truly desiccated a month later, as the intensity of the disaster worsened rather than abated as the summer progressed.
How bad was it? “By the end of summer, 39% of the contiguous U.S. was in ‘severe’ to ‘extreme’ drought at the end of August.”
The Forbes article, written in September 2012, attempted to predict how that drought would affect grocery prices, but the author failed to consider that rising gasoline prices would result in groceries costing even more than anticipated, as what few crops were successful still had to be driven to market.
The Forbes piece also attempted to reassure readers that wholesalers and supermarkets would likely absorb most of those rising costs, but that has not been the case. It turned out to be too big a hit. Costs simply had to be passed on to the consumer.
And it is not just the United States feeling these effects. All of North America is affected, in restaurants as well as grocery stores.
“This drought will hit us,” said Garth Whyte, president of the Canadian Restaurant and Food services Association. “People are on watch because the bread basket was hit quite hard, particularly down in the U.S.”
“The rising cost of ingredients is the No. 1 concern for the association’s members, based on a fourth-quarter survey, according to Mr. Whyte. More than 40 per cent of respondents said they plan to raise menu prices in the first half of the year.”
And now, the bad news: Long-range weather forecasts are showing that not only will the drought continue into this year, it will intensify.
That’s the prediction made March 8th of the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, which anticipates a “disaster” for farmers and ranchers. And whatever turns out to be a disaster for the people who produce your food will certainly be a disaster for you.
So, is there anything you can do to keep this disaster from decimating your family? Yes. You can buy next year’s food this year. Then while everyone around you is paying exorbitant rates for their groceries, you can be enjoying gourmet quality meals you got in advance for a lot less money.
Many customers of eFoodsDirect.com are doing this right now. Even though these products are designed for long-term storage, they can be enjoyed any time. One reason eating storable food is an advantage now is because the folks at eFoods had the foresight to bid and pay for many of last summer’s crops before they were even planted, bypassing the problem of failed crops.
How was that possible? Some 39% of crops in the United States failed to materialize due to the drought. That left 61% that did alright, making it to the consumer, as is any visit to a supermarket will attest. It’s due to the law of supply and demand that the products that did get into the stores ended up being priced much higher than normal.
But because eFoods bought their share of these commodities before they were even planted, they were guaranteed delivery at the lower price they would have paid had there been no drought. They were then able to process, package, and deliver great meals to their customers, in many cases for less than their neighbors are now paying at the grocery store.
It’s a great idea to stock up on storable food for an emergency. But it’s just as good an idea go spend a portion of your food budget today for less expensive food you and your family can be eating right now. At the very least, stock up on storable food for next year, as one way you’ll be saving a ton of money.
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