Food Costs > Inflation

[MrD]

How many times have you heard politicians spout off about inflation with regard to wage rises, then tell you to calm yourself about housing and driving costs?

In the UK the government provides education for kids and it seems that they are getting hit by their own illusions. What with increased labour costs (well, come on, what catering staff member works for free within the schools!) the cost of school meals is increasing. Not just labour and the basic costs of the foodstuffs which makes up 80% of the cost of a meal, but that over 14% increase in the cost of food.

Every time April comes around and the government says inflation is 2%, so your wages go up 2%. How they manage to figure out a 14% increase in food costs is difficult to work out. This issue is hitting everyone, but maybe the only way the fat cats can see this effecting them is hitting the government coffers when their own institutions suffer.

BBC NEWS | England | North Yorkshire | Schools hit by food price rises


Schools hit by food price rises


Primary school meal prices in North Yorkshire will rise in September because of the increasing cost of food.
Prices will go up from £1.80 per day to £2.00, but councillors estimate the Primary Catering Service will still be short by £480,000.
However, the council has decided that parents with more than one child having a meal at the same school will only pay the higher price for one child.
National pay settlements for catering staff also contributed to the rise.
Councillor John Watson said: "I regret the need to increase prices more, but with food costs rising much higher than the rate of general inflation and with the continuing impact of national job evaluation there is no alternative.
"Despite this regrettable increase, the meals are still very good value for money - where else could you purchase a nutritionally balanced two-course meal for £2.00?"
Food and labour expenses represent over 80% of catering costs in primary schools across the county.

[[R-MOD]Mongolian_dude]

I dont really rate the way the CPI works anyway.
You cant really calculate the cost of living if you throw in high-selling non-essentials like MP3 players

...mongol...

[MrD]

There's been some talk recently in government about what is the minimum standard of living.

Things they are bandying around are :

Theatre tickets
walking boots
bicycle
A yearly, weeks holiday in a holiday camp chalet.

[M4nicMin3r]

Originally Posted by [R-PUB]MrD

There's been some talk recently in government about what is the minimum standard of living.

Things they are bandying around are :

Theatre tickets
walking boots
bicycle
A yearly, weeks holiday in a holiday camp chalet.

Jeez and WTF would the gov know about the "little peoples" standard of living, theyre too busy lining their own pockets and balancing their own budgets to care.

[OiSkout]

Same in the US.

Gas goes up, food goes up.
Food goes up, food goes up.

Food used to be imported cheap but now that's goin up, at least in SE Asia.

What sucks is when people panic about something, the price skyrockets for a little, then they realize there's not really and issue and drop it down again.

[Expendable Grunt]

Well, the cost of fuel going up is a double whammy -- here in the US, more and more corn farmers are choosing to sell a progressively larger portion of their harvest to ethanol fuel producers, which means an increased demand on a not-as-quickly-increasing supply. Brazil is experiencing a similar thing with their sugar producers -- they are the worlds largest sugar producers by far.

The US produces a sizable portion of the worlds grain supply, and I wonder if eventually we'll not be exporting our corn harvests due to fuel conversion. Everyone here who eats corn-based products eats American corn from what I'm told, so everyone should care.

[General_J0k3r]

Originally Posted by Expendable Grunt

Well, the cost of fuel going up is a double whammy -- here in the US, more and more corn farmers are choosing to sell a progressively larger portion of their harvest to ethanol fuel producers, which means an increased demand on a not-as-quickly-increasing supply. Brazil is experiencing a similar thing with their sugar producers -- they are the worlds largest sugar producers by far.

The US produces a sizable portion of the worlds grain supply, and I wonder if eventually we'll not be exporting our corn harvests due to fuel conversion. Everyone here who eats corn-based products eats American corn from what I'm told, so everyone should care.

i come from germany and i would kill for US fuel prices...1,5€ a ltr, thats about 2,25$ a ltr thats about 8,55$ for a gallon of diesel...(3,8ltrs are a gallon, right?). so pls, 4$ a gallon

regarding corn: no, europe has corn surplus as well btw

[Expendable Grunt]

I'm aware they sell their surplus; together, we do well -- what happens when one or the other no longer exports? I am worried :/