This subject is on anybody’s mind that has to eat….the risen food prices…..I recently explained just how much the prices have risen since the last election in 2020….
Food Prices Are Too Damn High
It has been predicted that if the government gets involved that it could have long ranging consequences…..but apparently Americans want relief not downer predictions.
A recent poll by a group called Data For Progress shows just how widespread the desire for the government to do something for a little relief….
69% of respondents — including a majority of Democrats and Republicans — said the government “should do more to regulate grocery stores that raise prices to maximize profits.”
The survey, conducted from May 10 to 11, sampled 1,168 likely voters from around the country and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. A slightly larger share of respondents, 71%, said the government should “do more to regulate corporate food producers that raise prices to maximize profits.” This figure included a majority of Democrats and Republicans.
The survey, conducted from May 10 to 11, sampled 1,168 likely voters from around the country and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. A slightly larger share of respondents, 71%, said the government should “do more to regulate corporate food producers that raise prices to maximize profits.” This figure included a majority of Democrats and Republicans.
Dems are getting involved by requesting the Biden use his pen to give some relief…..
Joe Biden encouraging the Biden-Harris administration to use its executive authority to take robust actions to lower food prices for families. In the letter, the lawmakers note how corporations have been raking in record profits while families are being hit with higher costs for groceries, and they outline several executive actions that the Biden administration should take.
“The federal government should use every possible tool to lower food prices,” wrote the lawmakers. “We believe you can exercise your executive authority to take additional action to address rising food prices without congressional action.”
Americans are facing sky-high food prices, caused by excessive price gouging by food and grocery giants. A small group of players dominate those industries: four grocery retailers account for over a third of national grocery sales and four food companies control more than 60 percent of sales in most grocery categories. As a result, consumers are spending more of their income on food than they have in the past 30 years.In the letter, the lawmakers urge the administration to leverage the full scope of their executive authority and consider the following proposals:
- Encourage the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prohibit exclusionary contracting by dominant firms in the food industry.
- Encourage the FTC to issue guidance on potential violations of the Robinson Patman Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act within the food industry, and investigate and take enforcement action where merited.
- Work with USDA to increase the number of government contract recipients that are very small businesses.
- Work with USDA to ensure that technical factors reflect the long-term costs of food sector consolidation.
- Urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FTC to scrutinize, and where appropriate, block mergers and acquisitions in the food and agricultural sectors.
- Encourage the DOJ to prosecute actors in the agricultural and food sectors for price fixing and other anticompetitive behavior.
- Direct the CFTC and FTC to form a joint task force to investigate food price manipulation throughout the supply chain.
I say bully for them for wanting try and help out working families that are struggling while Congress fiddles.
Maybe look beyond Congress to other countries that are handling food prices….let’s begin with France.
France has set up a food pricing system that will sound foreign to American ears: Consumer goods companies like PepsiCo must negotiate with the country’s grocery stores on prices in the stores during a set period. If they can’t come to a compromise, PepsiCo won’t be able to get its products on the grocer’s shelves. The negotiations provide French consumers with a small but valuable piece of power, and President Emmanuel Macron has been trying to use the system to his advantage as he aggressively pushes to get the country’s high food prices down, saying they should reflect the fact that the prices of many raw materials have recently declined.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/88×783/how-the-us-government-could-lower-food-prices-for-everyone
I know some will point to 1971….but people struggling do not care about 1971….all that is on their minds right now is some damn relief from the price gouging that food distributors and sales are enjoying with impunity.
Working families do not care what action by the president does to the markets….if they can afford to put food on the table then the president has done the proper thing.
Something needs doing….someone needs to step up….relief is much needed and will be appreciated.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
When you are talking about regulating stores to prevent price gouging, you are talking about restraint of trade which is unconstitutional. So there must be competition. What is needed is a law against collusion in price fixing which I personally believe is the root of the problem here.
What competition? That will never happen the GOP will never allow a law…..executive order is about the only thing that can be done immediately,….relief is needed not more bullshit talk. chuq
If the bread becomes too expensive, the peasants will take the challenge of the Tsars upon their own shoulders.
Don’t forget the French Revolution started because bread was too expensive. chuq
that is what i meant
Okay my bad chuq
“What is needed is a law against collusion in price fixing which I personally believe is the root of the problem here.”
Yes! This is exactly what’s going on. Tyson, Perdue, koch and Pilgrim together completely control the market for chicken in the US. While Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and Marfrig control about 90% of the beef market. These few companies literally hold a monopoly on pork, chicken and beef in the US. And all of them have been caught red handed colluding on price fixing either on the supply side to consumers, or on the manipulation of beef prices to screw over ranchers to increase prices. And all that’s happened is they got a token fine, promised not to do it again, and went right back to their usual practices.
Once upon a time in the early 20th century Congress had enough guts and ethics left to break up the monopolies, the trust busters they were called. They even took on Ma Bell in the 1980s. But now? The Congress is little more than a bunch of corrupt, sycophants who have been deliberately weakening the anti-monopoly laws in exhange for power and money.
Sorry for the rant but this is something that always gets me riled up.
A law will not be forthcoming…..the gougers have Congress in their pocket so to think that Congress can fix this problem is just not a good thought. chuq
In the UK, too much of our food is imported. Farmers are selling off land for house-building and solar panel installations because it is an easier and more profitable life than farming. We should heed the old warning, “You can’t eat bricks”.
Best wishes, Pete.
We should indeed. Here the farms are being sucked up by agri-business and profiteers. chuq
Naturally producers want to maximize profit but it really is tied to higher production costs. I think much of the production cost of food is determined by transportation costs which is tied to fuel costs. I see food prices at grocery store have risen 25% to 50% last three years. This is a death sentence for fixed-income people. Except for picking up a pack of ground beef I don’t even stop at the beef section anymore. My refridgerator is remarkably less full these days and I have no more need for my chest freezer unless I can get an “in bulk” deal. Now using high protein vitamin drinks as food substitute to some degree.
I do not mind profits but when fuel prices go down food prices do not…..something needs doing before us retirees are forced to eat cheap cat food. chuq
We know the prices are not going down even if gas is $1.869 again. This is more than inflation. This is price reset, an adjustment for the sake of people having to do with less and higher prices, ya know, the new normal. It seems like a plan to knock everyone down a few notches on that economic ladder. Oh, we are having economic growth alright. The management class is growing and the impoverished and the on the edge classes are growing too.
Fuel is price fixing…..so is food…..there is something someone can do…..the country needs help and we are worrying about bathrooms and books….it is disgraceful. chuq
Ann’t dat their red herring technique ? I don’t care for the things so really don’t care how expensive they are. Isn’t putting red dye in our fish against the law ?
That is all we get these days….diversions. chuq