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by MoonOwl from The Brink of Madness

Last Post 22 days, 13 hours Ago


"Food Rationing Confronts the Breadbasket of the World"
Apr 22, 2008 | 7:49 AM
Category: News
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I came across this interesting article and thought I'd pass it on:

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing.

Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.

At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.

“Where’s the rice?” an engineer from Palo Alto, Calif., Yajun Liu, said. “You should be able to buy something like rice. This is ridiculous.”

The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.

http://nysun.com/news/food-rationing-confronts-breadba
sket-world

MoonOwl
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Member Comments Total Comments: 7
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mmustangg read my blog view my photos
Apr 22, 2008 | 10:56 AM

It couldn't be because more of the world's corn crop is going to bio fuels and not to taco shells and Fritos as they should be? Less edible corn on the market, drives up the price and puts more demand on OTHER grains. This is the result of the "Sky is Falling" crowd trying to save the planet by burning our food supply for fuel! If we are in this much trouble with edible corn and other grains, can you imagine if more farmers go the bio-fuel route?

CORN IS FOR CORNBREAD, NOT GAS TANKS!
FloydFreak read my blog view my photos
Apr 22, 2008 | 11:20 AM

Further to 'stangg's point...

If all of this bio-fuel cr@p were to actually bring DOWN the cost of energy, I'd get behind it (MAYBE). But look what we've got for all of our efforts - record HIGH energy prices and record HIGH food prices to go along with it.

It's all BULLBLEEP!
mmustangg read my blog view my photos
Apr 22, 2008 | 11:26 AM

Throw in the fact that it takes more than a gallon of gas to create a gallon of bio-fuel and the insanity goes up ten fold!
MoonOwl read my blog view my photos
Apr 23, 2008 | 5:58 AM

Paying $5 for a Tomato will also be insane.

Which is what my local grocer is expecting by the end of the summer. I joked w/him about food shortages and he got serious - which I was hoping he wouldn't do. I guess our grocers know what's coming?

It's gonna get rough folks. I'm darn glad I put in a garden this year. Perhaps Apap could start some rice paddies on our lake?

MoonOwl
MoonOwl read my blog view my photos
Apr 24, 2008 | 5:53 AM

Glad to see this made the news.
MoonOwl read my blog view my photos
Apr 24, 2008 | 7:30 AM

Here's a link to a CNN article:


http://tinyurl.com/6zlb7h
jabitw read my blog
May 3, 2008 | 11:33 AM

Up to this point, all of the articles I have read, and news stories I have heard have only mentioned minor limits on the amount of rice a person can buy - like four bags at a time. I don't know about you, but it isn't common for me to buy more than four bags of rice at a time.

More disturbing in all of this is the misconception that this whole thing is caused by the recent move to make biofuels from corn. That's sort of like blaming McDonalds for all the fat people in the U.S. An honest analysis tells us that OVEREATING and LACK OF EXERCISE are the leading contributors - not any specific restaurant. Eat twenty bananas a day and I guarantee you get just as fat.

Yes, the biofuel move is playing a part in the recent food price increases, but by far the most culpable source is the fact that oil prices have increased by more than 500% in the last two years. The price of gasoline is up nearly 400% in the last four years. Think. It wasn't all that long ago you could get gas for $1.09 a gallon.

Here's the most amazing fact of all - THERE IS NO FOOD SHORTAGE, at least, not in this country. We must be extremely careful of promoting mass hysteria about this because the fear of a food shortage is far more dangerous than an actual food shortage because it will CREATE the shortage. Here's how: We hear these stories about rationed food, so we run out and buy as much as we can afford. The person behind you in the aisle sees your actions, asks why, and starts calling their friends. Before you know it, there is a run on the stores (remember the banks that caused the Great Depression
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MoonOwl

I'm a 45yr old DomesticGoddess and MamaRaptor. I'm out-spoken, opinionated & totally unPC.

Member Since: 2/20/2007


 

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