Price of flour going up

[B'sgirl]

I don't know if you all have heard this already, but I heard the the price of flour is supposed to go up 300% by the end of the summer so stock up. My source is my church's storehouse. They sent the message to our local rep to spread the news.

 

[meshoo96]

oh no... did they say why? i can't go without home made bread now that DH has it down to a science...and the cookies..and OHHHH NOOOOOO

 

[SixSix210]

Guess it's time to move and buy a wheat field then....

 

[jpmcgrew]

I have known flour is going up but did not take it seriously. Last week the local store had Gold Medal unbleached flour normally at $1.79 on sale for $ 99. cents I bought 3 but should have bought at least 10 or more bags.

 

[B'sgirl]

oh no... did they say why? i can't go without home made bread now that DH has it down to a science...and the cookies..and OHHHH NOOOOOO

They didn't say why, but my guess is something to do with gas prices, oil prices, "food" farm products being transformed into "fuel" products, farm subsidies, you name it. I'm sure we can blame it on something.

I maybe wouldn't take it as seriously if I hadn't just seen the price of eggs skyrocket on me, among other things.

 

[Maverick2272]

If you get Time magazine, there is an article in this months issue entitled "The Clean Energy Myth".
They state on the cover "Politicians and Big Business are pushing biofuels like corn-based ethanol as alternatives to oil. All they're really doing is driving up food prices and making global warming worse - and you're paying for it."
Interesting article, worth reading if you can get a hold of it.

 

[CharlieD]

everything is going up in price, it's crazy. Flour already went up in price. I buy 25 lb bags usualy, one day it was $7 bucks and next week it's already $10.

 

[Potato Repairman]

About a month ago in the Wall Street Journal there was an article about how investors are moving more speculative money from financial markets into the commodity markets because of the larger potential profits, and how this is forcing the prices up. I believe it was the Feb 28 or 29 issue.

 

[Maverick2272]

It is the same thing they did with oil, it is no longer directly based on supply and demand but speculation. Somethings should be off limits to those vultures, and necessities like food and oil at the top of the list.

 

[AMSeccia]

Good thing flour freezes well, I think I'll start hoarding ...

 

[Dave Hutchins]

Once a month I go to the senior citizen bld. next door and bake 5 doz cinnamon rolls for the old folks and the lady that runs it said her flour bill went up 20 dollars a 50# bag from$ 10.00, some body is getting it in the shorts and it us....... and the rich get richer

 

[AMSeccia]

Does anybody else find this worrisome? I mean seriously ... in another (quite disadvantaged) life, I literally lived on macaroni, thrift store bread, pancake mix, etc.
I think it's scary to think what the truly needy people in society are going to do when these last affordable items are out of reach. What does it mean for the 10 cent Ramen noodle packs? I know people who LIVE on those.

I don't know about some of you, but I know what it's like not to have anything to eat, and I enjoy donating as a means of giving back. I guess I'll go from donating protein items like tuna, peanut butter and beef to donating staples like flour and pasta!

Scary times!

 

[Adillo303]

It seems that Australia has had a crop failure.

Withered crops down under and a weak American dollar have prompted a run on U.S. wheat the last two years, making flour an ever more precious commodity. Only now the staple is getting so expensive, it's threatening to derail entire businesses.

I had read that wheat production os off, which makes prices go up. Maybe we have US version of OPEC going on. Funny thing though, if OPEC were a US interest it would be deamed an illegal monopoly.

 

[CharlieD]

Scary indeed.ur bills are mostly food and gas. I just told my wife we should start choose what we can and cannot buy, I mean food. With 5 kids it is really hard.

 

[AMSeccia]

Charli, not to go way off topic, but I feel for ya ... have you checked out livingonadime.com? Great resource for living within a budget. We are only a family of four, but try to help provide for my aging parents and grandmother in Upper Michigan, and I find lots of good tips there.

Okay, so to bring this back on topic ... I have never cooked with alternate flours. I would enjoy any pointers from those who do.

 

[stassie]

It's already had a big price hike here - gone from $4 (NZD) to $7 for a 5kg bag. As has been mentioned, the increase is attributed to the poor crops in Aussie and the increase in the use of wheat for biofuels.

 

[Alix]

Weird, I just posted that I paid $13 for a 20lb bag of flour that I would normally pay $5 for. Yikes.

 

[AllenOK]

Yep, crops gone off is the the source, and speculators just add fuel to the fire. I think we ought to declare open season on speculators.

 

[corazon]

I suppose now is the time to try Atkins diet.
I saw an article in our local newpaper about this too. They are worried that many bakeries will shut down because of it. Who will pay over $5 for a loaf of bread?!

 

[GotGarlic]

If you get Time magazine, there is an article in this months issue entitled "The Clean Energy Myth".
They state on the cover "Politicians and Big Business are pushing biofuels like corn-based ethanol as alternatives to oil. All they're really doing is driving up food prices and making global warming worse - and you're paying for it."
Interesting article, worth reading if you can get a hold of it.

It's available online: The Clean Energy Scam - TIME