What's up at the supermarket? Almost everything.

Dante Wadley shops for apples at the Union Square green market Wednesday in New York.

[deerfly]

The US corn harvest is about 12 billion bushels/year. 4 billion bushels will be turned into biofuel. How surprising that food prices are increasing.

[grama who cares]

This is a total rip off. Its terrible.

[Cost of the Times]

Most of that 12 billion goes straight to animals, not human consumption (here or abroad). Let's all try eating a little less...who knows, maybe we'll meet our weight loss goals.

[Red Ryder]

Maybe Congress should issue war bonds again. this time the $ goes to fund bio-fuel research and people can put their money where their mouths are. Great. All the patiotic farmers should invest and become overnight millionaires.

[me in st paul]

It's time to start "victory" gardens again. Use the space in your yard to grow food instead of grass. Don't have a yard? Pots work great for a lot of things - tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes. a couple of bucks in seeds generates many pounds of food. Victory Gardens supplied a significant proportion of the fresh food during WWII. Think edible landscaping!

[GRP]

In my opinion this article fails to mention the primary reason for the rise in food costs - our own governments' inaction. No need to provide additonal funding for bio-fuel research; too many studies have already shown it's not a viable option at this time. It costs too much to produce, it burns inefficiently and does not transport well.

[Aurora]

Biofuels aren't impacting the price of eggs, people.

[Tom D]

Hey Aurora. What do chickens eat? Feed? What does feed come from?

[reader]

"Biofuels aren't impacting the price of eggs, people. "

So what do chickens eat? The cost of feed for animals is also rosing.

[TAC]

The rising cost of fuel is also causing a rise in the commodities. It is all tied together.

[Adam Smith]

It's called a free market economy, children. You wanted it, you got it.

[RNP]

Aurora wrote:

Biofuels aren't impacting the price of eggs, people.

Yes actually it has been impacted by biofuels. Virtually all animal feeds contained corn or a corn derative and the cost of all animal feeds has increased fairly significant as a direct and / or indirect result of taking corn out of the food production loop and diverting it to ethanol.

[MMP]

Adam Smith wrote:

It's called a free market economy, children. You wanted it, you got it.

True, and I wouldn't trade it for the Socialist state that Obama and Clinton advocate. The sad part is this whole mess was caused and is perpetuated by our own ignorant Congress, or is it that they don't care.....

[Violence Over Food]

This isn't just about ethanol. What about the high fuel/diesel expenses that farmers and companies have to incur to get the food from the fields to your table?(Trucking Costs, Tractors, Fertilizers (made from petroleum if not organic farms), natural gas blowers to dry the corn in the silos so it doesn't rot, etc, etc. This holistic. This is a BIG problem!

[Concerned in Twin Cities]

It's politics.

[Homer dont play that]

Adam Smith wrote:

It's called a free market economy, children. You wanted it, you got it.

Perhaps remove government mandates for ethanol, and all associated tax brakes and subsidies.

Contrary to popular misconception, we do not live in a truly "free market" economy; for good or ill, with government interference that directly affects the economy, by definition we live in a mixed socialist economy.

Is Economics 101 no longer required before one graduates?

[Homer dont play that]

Hmm...tax breaks. Yep, that's better.

[Marty J]

I started to shop now at Aldis for all of my staples. You won't believe how much you can save there on the basic items. I then at Cub or Rainbow for the remaining items that Aldis does not carry. I figure I save about $60 a month doing this.

[Andy]

Adam Smith wrote:

It's called a free market economy, children. You wanted it, you got it.

In a true "free market," the government doesn't subsidize a fuel that will never work, blocking oil exploration and drilling because some mammal may become extinct, accornding to the EPA.

We will never have supply when the demand is subsidized.

[MMP]

Violence Over Food wrote:

This isn't just about ethanol. What about the high fuel/diesel expenses that farmers and companies have to incur to get the food from the fields to your table?(Trucking Costs, Tractors, Fertilizers (made from petroleum if not organic farms), natural gas blowers to dry the corn in the silos so it doesn't rot, etc, etc. This holistic. This is a BIG problem!

Correct on the scope of the issue - you've identified the downstream dependancies, but at the root cause it's the enthanol and the total lack of action, or when they do take action, the incorrect action on the part of our state and federal Congress. People, it truly starts at the grass roots level in own legislative precincts and districts. We have to take the time to get involved in process and remove the Oberstar, Pogemille, Kelliher, goofs that are in office. We have started to see what our complacency and inaction has wrought