Grocery prices sharply on the rise accoding to ABC news article

[candy331]

Inflation is in play so how long the denial and covering by Greenspan, does November sound about right? Rampant inflation the next bombshell.




Chocolate maker Jacques Torres says his business has been affected by rising milk prices. (ABCNEWS.com) No Sugarcoating It
Price Hikes for Milk Are Bad News for Chocolate Makers and Chocolate Lovers

By Bob Jamieson

N E W Y O R K, May 9, 2004 — If you've been grocery shopping lately this will come as no surprise: Grocery prices have been sharply on the rise in recent months. Basics such as eggs, apples, and ground beef are up.


And so is milk. A gallon of milk is at a record high, costing consumers about $4 in many places.

In the Brooklyn, N.Y., kitchen of renowned chocolate maker Jacques Torres, every price increase is felt immediately, because almost half of Torres' finished chocolates start as milk.

"You will find milk and cream in every product that we do here," Torres says. "It's a lot of milk being used into the chocolate industry, from milk powder, some milk fat and a lot of cream go into that and a lot of butter."

People from small ice cream manufacturers, to those who put the cheese on the pizza, to fine chocolate makers, are struggling with the higher milk prices.

Soaring Prices

In the 3½ years he's been in business, Torres has seen milk prices double. But like other businessmen, he's been forced to absorb the extra cost because consumers are reluctant to pay more.

"From February of this year, the price went up 54 percent for milk," Torres says. "So, it's impossible to have the customer pay for those increases."

It's mostly an issue of supply and demand. Milk production has fallen sharply because dairy farmers have been quitting the business — ironically, because until recently milk prices were so low.

more

www.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Business/milk_chocolate040509.html

[Ninchik]

1. Please. They just noticed?

Chicken thighs, steady at $1.39 a pound for years, suddenly 1.89 for the last six months?

Hellmann's mayonnaise on sale at 1.99 for years, now goes on sale at $2.49, again in the last six months?

I'm only quoting figures from the Associated across the street.

Inflation has been here for longer than they are admitting.

[grasswire]

5. I was stunned in the store yesterday

Every item was up, mostly twenty or thirty cents. I'm assuming that grocers are using this opportunity to hike everything while there's an excuse that can be used. Looks as if our standard of living is going to diminish significantly. Especially for those who are already living cheap.

[newyawker99]

8. Hi Ninchik!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Newsjock]

2. Phony numbers from a phony government

The big inflation number that everyone talks about now is the "core" inflation number, that by definition excludes food and energy.

Well, look what's costing tons more these days.

Sometimes the deceit and arrogance of this government make me foaming-at-the-mouth angry. And it's too early on Sunday morning to go around foaming at the mouth the rest of the day. Grrrr.

[doni_georgia]

3. Duh! With gas prices as high as they are EVERYTHING is going up!

The price of everything will continue to rise because of gas prices - it's inescapable. Mary Matilin this morning was talking about Bush's great economic recovery BULLSHIT! YEah, jobs have been created in recent months, but they are of the fastfood variety - not the type people can support a family on. Wages are not going up, but the cost of living is increasing daily at an alarming rate. The gas station by my house has two signs out front. One shows the price of gas, the other shows the price of milk. Both are going up at about the same rate.

[Deja Q]

6. Yet alone supporting themselves on

In 2004: Minimum wage is $5.50. Liveable wage is ~$11 (I'd say $12, minimum, for a fairly comfortable lifestyle. For ONE person. $15/hr would be needed to raise a child.)

In 1950, the minimum wage was a hair shorter than the liveable wage.

In 1979, a CEO made 40x that of the average worker and the gulf began to form...

In 2004, a CEO makes 1024x that of the average worker. It's technically 536x, but then you have to remember that average workers are doing TWICE the workload for no increase in relative pay. So, yes, it is 1024x.

Not to add in health care costs...

Does anybody see a reversal in any of these trends?

[Deja Q]

4. In business, many companies wrongfully pass their losses to the consumer

That's why I hate insurance companies with a passion. I'm a good driver, so I get disgusted when mother nature causes an ice storm that creates 500 accidents. (as a result, my bill goes up, even though I had nothing to do with it. The CEOs and salesmen want to keep their salary the same and take no risks with their business, so they shove the costs unfairly to everybody else.)

I live in a safe building so when a flood wipes out a town 20 miles away because the people were stupid enough to build on a river... DUH.

I am healthy but if I see the doctor once, the premium skyrockets because I'm now a risk to their profitability. x(

Dairy farmers quit the business because corporate farms have made it unprofitable and they were squeezed out and left to die. Our society isn't about stability, it's about fast profits for a select few, whose profits allow them to venture out and squeeze other outlets that much more quickly. We're not free enterprise and not for people or society, we're about selective control and freedom of personal greed. x( x(

We are seeing the decline of our society thanks to our own filthy ideology. Oh well. Better luck next time.

[KayLaw]

7. Like I said Friday

I lurk at a somewhat Freeperish survival site for women and they are up in arms over prices. I checked in yesterday and a mod had a scowling smilie for her " Your attention please " post, and I thought it would be about the torture photos, but it was about prices. She wants us to start paying for gas with silver instead of bills and to tell the attendents at gas stations that after buying milk and meat for our families loose change is all we have left. She also wants us to complain to our reps.