EDITORIAL: Food costs require solution

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April 15, 2008

Staff Reports The Journal-Register Tue Apr 15, 2008, 07:17 PM EDT

Add this to the list of things that costs more today than it did yesterday: A dozen eggs.

They cost about 25 cents more than this time last year. All food costs are rising, actually. The nation’s food cost inflation rate rose sharply for the first time in years, up to 4 percent from 2.8 percent.

For those who can afford it, the resulting hikes in everything from bagels to brie won’t have much of an impact. For those of us who struggle to make ends meet already, it’s just another headache. Another bill that’s going up, and a few more dollars that must be stretched.

Consider this: The most in food stamps that a family of four can qualify for is $542. Anyone with two children can tell you that $135 (a quarter of the family’s monthly assistance) doesn’t come close to covering the 14 meals per week most American families eat at home. That doesn’t include a midday meal had at school or work, the costs of which usually come out of a grocery bill, as well.

When milk costs more than pop, parents looking to keep cupboards stocked will cut corners. When there’s only $200 in stamps and pocket money for a trip to the grocery store, rising food costs result in needed items being left on the shelf.

This is where the rubber meets the road in tough times. When parents need to choose between cheap, fatty foods that can at least satisfy a grumbling stomach and the healthy foods that children need to mature and grow.

Or worse yet, the choice between two requirements, like food and a mortgage or utility bills.

It’s the latest in an ever-increasing string of economic problems facing the poorest Americans and it requires some solution from our elected leaders. Should food stamps be increased? Should some farm subsidies that tamp down production be lifted? Should the government extend a relieving hand to those who need it most?

The answer to these questions is of course, yes. Unfortunately, the answer to a more important question — when? — isn’t as clear.

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