Grocery wars: Whose belts are the tightest?

by megan foley / metro new york

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JUL 28, 2008

As you scuttle through the aisles of the grocery store looking for your favorite snacks, you probably experience some sticker shock: $8 for a pint of ice cream! Yes, food prices have gone up, and they’re going to keep climbing. Kind of like gas (and largely because of gas), everyone is shelling out more — but who’s being hit the hardest? Vegans? Regular ol’ omnivores? Or are we all in equal-opportunity Sufferville?

Cook your own meals rather than reaching for the frozen pizza. (Photo: getty images)

To start, let’s look at the staples: Bread, cereal and milk cost 8.5 percent more than they did last year according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Much of this is due to increased fuel and energy costs, which makes it pricier, not only to transport items, but to process them. Factor in a rainy spring in the Midwest, and the resulting shortage of crops, and you’ve got a real pickle on your hands (and it costs 10 cents more than it should).

Experts claim that groups with specialized diets are hit the hardest, because they have fewer options and typically spend more for food anyway. Dr. Joseph Fuhr, professor of economics at Widener University, claims vegans are “the most adversely affected.” Connie Diekman, director of nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, stipulates that it’s specialty processed foods (think: Amy’s pizzas) that are seeing the highest jump.

Rachel Berman, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, laments that “kosher meat and cheese, have skyrocketed to the point that some kosher families are turning to food pantries for help.”

But these groups aren’t giving up their diets. Jenna Torres, co-author of “Vegan Freak” says, “if the price of bananas is high then I can go to the farmer’s market or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and get reasonably priced produce that wasn’t shipped across the world.” Dynise Balcavage, author of

urbanvegan.blogspot.com frames the issue around lifestyle: “Whether you’re vegan or not, [buying processed foods] is going to boost your food costs. People need to get in the habit of cooking more.” In other words, despite the summer heat, you need to get back in the kitchen.