Here in the US/Europe we are not going to endure any kind of food shortages. Take a look around us, especially in suburban areas, people are as big as the houses. Maybe if there were food rationing we could stave off the impending diabetes epidemic we’re heading into with our obese society and the continued “acceptance” of being overweight. Heck, i’m 6’1″ 155# and I get heckeled by people who think i’m karen carpenter. Good lord, I’m a normal weight–society has embraced this overabundance we’ve been blessed with. Abundance is good, just don’t eat more than youre fair share.

Relatively speaking we spend less of our income on food than any other country on earth. I think we’re coming up on 9%, in Europe it’s around 12-13%. Food will always be available to people with money, the poor countries, and poor in the US/Europe are the ones who will bear the brunt of the greed from the commodotiy traders. Yes, the price of rice/wheat/etc. is being controlled and exploited by commodoties traders, and we’re all paying the price for their greed. Everyone needs to earn a living, when is enough enough?

Do your own part–I spent $60 on materials to build an 8 x 8 raised planting bed in my backyard to raise vegetables and the like. I’m even contemplating getting the legally allowed 3 hens to roam around my backyard. Not only are they fun to watch, they produce eggs, fertilize the earth and eat the bugs!

These hoarders are all nut cases. They should spend more of their money on their 401k instead of buying 80lb bags of rice!

However, I did vote “legitimate concern”. While we consume a lot of rice in our household, we know that we have alternatives if it came to a real rice shortage. My concern is the general inflation in food prices. We have been living frugally since long before the recent sudden trend in frugal living, but despite our prudent spending habits, the regular increase in food prices is a real cause for anxiety because our income hasn’t increased with it.

I grocery shop once a month to save time and money, and each month the prices are significantly higher than the last. Not long ago, I could purchase 10 packs of ramen, (12 on sale) for $1.00. Then, starting a few months ago, it became 7/$1, then 6/$1, and this month 5/$1 with each succeeding month. I can’t help thinking that next month it’ll be 4/$1, and the month after 3/$1, and so on, and wanting to hoard as much as possible.

Because we live in a remote area, ours is the only grocery store for about 20-30 miles and most people living here don’t have much of a choice about where to shop (we don’t have a farmer’s market either). And being remotely located, the increased gas prices probably have more of an effect on the food prices here than in other areas.

So, as someone else mentioned in a comment on another blog, the inflation might be good in theory because it forces some people to develop better habits, but for some of us, it is definitely not good in practice.

I won’t be stockpiling any food, and besides even if I do run out of food, I have plenty of weight to lose.

I stockpile sales items, but that’s habbit – not because of current media reports. There are only two of us – so the 20 pound bag of basmati rice we bought (before the stockpiling stories hit) will see us through for a while. I haven’t stockpiled anything due to current concerns.