Vocal Voices

So says the boss of chicken firm 2 Sisters.

Is that "up to" 15% on top of the rises already seen and what is the "actual" rise? It could be 1%.

Apart from milk and some meats my fresh food bill has hardly risen Loose carrots, potatoes, cabbage, parsnips, swede, cauli, onions, celery, sugar, flour, porridge oats, wheat biscuits and so on have hardly moved. Yes, there have been some rises in ketchup, tinned tomatoes and beans, and some fruit, but they are hardly bank breaking.

On the other hand ready meals, sandwiches, pizzas, cook-in sauces, "brand" items, chocolate bars, biscuits, hot coffee drinks, bottled water and takeaways have gone berserk. Anyone living off those will have certainly seen big increases.

My guess is that many families are going to have to do a food reset, but it is not going to be easy as so many cannot cook.

The one I'm keeping an eye on, due to the global wheat situation, is bread. Some Hovis loaves have gone up by at least 1/3rd (Granary, Seeded) since the start of the year.
We will be substituting potato for bread before too long, I think.

Just done a comparison of an Aldi bill from the start of December with one from this March. Basic vegetable prices are actually unchanged (kale, sweet potatoes, celery, peppers) whilst bananas are up 5% and apples by 20% though - there may be seasonal influences with the latter, of course.

The price of veg seems pretty stable but yes, bread is the one to keep an eye on. If the Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe and the war drags on there will be no harvest this year.
Food security - one subject that no politician wants to talk about.

I have stopped eating bread as it has a lot of sugar in it. When I saw the nurse at the beginning of Janaury, she said I had to stop having
sugar. This is to keep my blood/sugar level under control. I am being very good having lots of salad, fish, and chicken. Have not seen
any big incerase in any of the foods I now buy.

We four chaps are proof positive that there is no such thing as general food "up to" price increase.

It is really annoying when the media promotes these "up to" figures to frighten us as they literally are meaningless.

If you find your food bills going through the roof change your eating habits and what you buy.

I think it is easier to manage these price rises if you are flexible, as there are almost always marked down items. Example: Saturday I picked up a large tray of prime stewing beef for £3, down from 6. Then a "stewpack" of carrots, swede, onion and parsnip for 95p. So I made a huge casserole. We had it with garlic bread yesterday, and rice today.

Easier when you know how to cook, but so many can't or won't these days.

Kaz wrote:Easier when you know how to cook, but so many can't or won't these days.

The key, especially the 'can't or won't' bit.

Were told by a worker in Tesco that 70% of their flour comes from Ukraine / Russia

Unlikely given that the UK is about 90% sufficient in wheat, oats and barley. Animal feed grain, old wheat, might be different but still nowhere like 70%. Who is the Tesco worker, a warehouse operative or checkout worker?

No idea where she worked.Just walking around- supervisor maybe?