The price of food has been steadily climbing for some time now, slow enough perhaps that some Vermonters may not have become too alarmed yet, but quickly enough that it has become cause for concern for many consumers and local businesses.  The effects are noticeable but subtle; ask any of-age college student in Burlington, and they’ll tell you that beer specials have, in the past few months, gone up a few quarters in most bars, for example.  And I was not very shocked at all to see a sign in a local coffee house I frequent apologizing for the price hike in bulk coffee, a move they have not had to make, they acknowledged, in years. 

Local eateries here in Vermont are feeling the effects as well, and as someone who works in the service industry, I can attest to this personally.  The topping on desserts in one local restaurant I know of fluctuate regularly due to the prices and quality of fruits; at one point drinks were going ungarnished due to the cost of lemons.  A bag of flour, I am told, has tripled in under a year, forcing menu changes that often do not sit well with customers. 

Meanwhile, while Vermonters may have to contend with higher prices at the supermarket and fewer nights eating out, residents of developing countries are facing food shortages at a crisis level.  There are a number of factors at work here: overpopulation, competition with biofuels, increasing demand for meat in developed countries and nations such as China and India—leading to a spike in the price of grain—high oil prices, which drives up the cost of fertilizers and transporting food, and climate change which, with unpredictable weather changes, has seriously disrupted the harvest and production of the world’s food supply.  I make note of this because while our own food problems are important to examine, we must not forget the majority of the world’s population for whom the consequences of price hikes may be starvation and violence.

Back at home, the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer warned last week that U.S. wheat stocks are their lowest point in 60 years, while global wheat supplies are at their lowest in 30.  Although there is always an annual rise in the cost of food, usually about 2.5 percent, we are now looking at a rise that is double that figure, about 4.5 percent.  While some consumers might not notice that the cost of their milk, eggs, and chicken have gone up a few cents or more over the last few months, the numbers are very telling: milk has jumped 13%, eggs 25% and poultry 7% over last year.  The impact these changes will have  are certainly capable of crippling an already injured economy.

So what are Vermonters to do?  Although the price of locally produced food may indeed be too costly for some consumers and business at this point, it seems that given the reasons behind skyrocketing food costs (perhaps most importantly of all the rising cost of fuel, which shows no sign of slowing down in the coming years) it makes sense to reinvest in local food production.  The upside is that locally produced food requires significantly less fuel, especially in regards to travel, while at the same time supports local farmers.  The downside?  We will find ourselves with a much diminished variety of foods to enjoy; some products, such as my much-beloved coffee, will be expensive for some time no matter what is done.  But for those of you with a taste for root vegetables, the future may not look too grim.