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How to Fight The Rising Cost of Food

Fill Your Plate

10.24.2011

English: — How do you fight the rising cost of food? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Arizona’s Farm Bureau’s most recent Market Basket Report, the informal survey showed a decrease of 1% from last quarter’s prices for Arizona. Before any excitement builds that this indicates a new downward trend in food prices, it’s important to note that prices here are still 4% higher than they were last year at this time. The national numbers show an overall increase from the second quarter of 4% which validates the expert opinion that food prices will continue to trend upwards for the remainder of the year.

In a recent edition of Foodie News (podcast) produced by the American Farm Bureau Federation called Retail Food Prices , the rising prices are attributed to increased production costs and growing global demand. While this increase in global demand is good news for the long term, signifying a strengthening global economy and expanded disposable income in developing countries, it is bad news for families who are already struggling to keep food on the table.

In an effort to help you stretch your food dollar, we here at the Arizona Farm Bureau have put together stretch your dollar menus that provide options for meal time that help you make the most of your food dollars. For the latest menu, click here: Stretch Your Food Dollar Menu. This menu features fabulous fare that uses the best of our locally grown products and includes Skillet Chicken with Shallot Cream Sauce, Chicken Piccata, and Marinated Beef Tips.

You can also look at some alternatives for food sourcing like community supported agriculture, farm stands, farmer’s markets and of course buying locally at your Arizona grocery store. Make the most of your local produce by buying in bulk when things are in season and cheaper to buy and then freezing, canning, or dehydrating for later use.

The key to keeping your pantry stocked and your plate full is to plan ahead and leverage all the different opportunities available for purchasing high quality food at discounted prices.