Food bank only had raisins. My food stamps were cut by two thirds. Inflation is way up. Specific shortages. I asked some people around me and they’re also struggling. No emergency announcements. Feels like a cover up. I heard US shale oil is peaking. All this and I live in the central valley of California, ag central. I should have food easily, instead it’s a struggle.

29 points
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Are you near Fresno? If so, you can always get a free meal over at the Poverello house. You can also get a food bag. https://poverellohouse.org/what-we-do/food/emergency-food-bags

I used to volunteer over there. Great place.

As far as prices go, you can get a big 25 pound of rice/beans for less than 20$ over at Winco. Back when covid happened it lasted my wife and I about a year on both. It gets boring, but it works.

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9 points

Yeah around there. I’ll check it out.

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21 points

I mostly shop at Costco and am not struggling so maybe my perspective is skewed but it seems like food prices have been coming down recently, and I haven’t noticed any shortages. If you think it feels like things are being covered up that sounds a little paranoid and conspiratorial to me, food distribution in the US is a huge and complicated system involving a whole lot of people, it seems completely implausible that a cover up of a major food crisis would even be possible. There’s just too many people who would notice (and there isn’t any kind of centralized hierarchy involved that could pull something like that off). I don’t see the relevance of shale oil production, the US produces plenty of oil to be both self sufficient and one of the largest oil exporters in the world. If you’re concerned the US doesn’t have enough oil or something like that you really shouldn’t be.

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-7 points

What do you mean you don’t see the relevance of shale oil production?

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13 points

How did the price of oil affect the raisins in the shelf? Why relate the two?

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-1 points

Agriculture depends heavily on oil.

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12 points

I mean I don’t see how it has anything to do with allegations of a secret food crisis, it seems like a non sequitur.

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-1 points

Literally agriculture depends heavily on oil.

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12 points

Food prices have been high for a while and it’s probably tough for donations. We are looking at a 30% higher cost of groceries compared to 5 years ago with some items up to 50%. I think the main reason for the cost is corporate greed. If you have an Aldi nearby it’s probably the best place to shop on a budget.

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6 points

Sorry to hear about your struggle. Food costs are up.

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes

Looks like:

  • fast food outpaced everything
  • $10 worth of groceries in May 2023 cost $10.10 in May 2024… seem like more? :)

Contrarian views:

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6 points

Prices have been going down around here.

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