Food prices could double

A UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor warned that food prices could double as a result of the surge in U.S. fuel prices. The advisor, Milton McGiffen, who works with vegetable crops in Riverside County, was quoted today in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“If you double the price of oil, I would assume that food would at least double, and it might be more because the cost of oil gets magnified in the food chain," he is quoted in the story.

The article said the fuel-to-food price link stems from:

• Farmers paying more to fill their tractors with diesel for planting and harvesting
• Higher cost of fertilizer, pesticides and plastic packaging, most of which are petroleum-based
• Energy consumption for food transportation, storage and processing

The the latter part of the Tribune article, written by Mike Lee, focuses on ways consumers are cutting food costs, such as gardening, canning, cooking at home, clipping coupons, comparing supermarket ads, planning meals for the week, selecting produce in season, reducing meat and dairy consumption, and eating more grains, nuts and legumes.

The reporter also spoke to UCCE family, nutrition and consumer sciences advisor Patti Wooten Swanson. She said more families are forming meal plans to help them focus on what to buy at the grocery store, find related coupons and avoid spoilage.

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