You are currently browsing the daily archive for September 7th, 2009.
A study published in the August, 2009 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition cited that a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit. That’s the bad news.
It can hard to eat properly on a budget, but instead of discouraging you, I want to pass along these other words of encouragement (from the August 26th New York Times):
Prices for beef, milk, eggs and some other grocery items have been dropping for several months, providing relief for consumers who suffered through the steep increases of a year ago. But prices are likely to start edging upward again as the economy recovers, according to a new federal report and economic analysts.
“The impact from lower energy prices on grocery store prices has largely been played out, and so we’re now looking at grocery store prices to rise modestly through the end of the year,” said Mark Vitner, a managing director and senior economist at Wells Fargo.
The government report, by the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture, said that grocery prices decreased 0.5 percent in July, compared with June. Compared with July 2008, when overall food costs were surging, grocery prices in July were down 0.9 percent.
In several food categories, prices dropped sharply. Beef fell 2.3 percent in July, compared with June, the eighth decrease in the last nine months, according to the report. Egg prices were down 2.7 percent from June to July and were 21.3 percent below their level in July a year ago. Milk prices declined 0.4 percent in the month, the 10th decline in the last 11 months, and were 18.4 percent below July 2008.
The national average price for a gallon of fresh whole milk in July was $2.99, compared with $3.96 in the same month a year earlier, a 25 percent drop, according to federal data.
Prices for fresh fruit and vegetables were also down markedly compared with their levels a year ago.
In contrast, some food prices rose compared with last year, including breakfast cereals, sugar and carbonated drinks.
If you ever needed an excuse to get off the processed foods, folks, this is it. Enjoy the late summer and early fall bounty at your local farmer’s market. Ask your grocer for local and organic produce. Learn to cook. Learn to taste. Slow down and enjoy. The life you save may be your own (or someone’s dear to you.)
