We all notice that when we go to the grocery store, our food bill is much higher than before the pandemic. It has remained high for most commodities. The highest increase in food prices occurred between 2022 and 2023, a 25 percent increase. Although wages have been increased overall, the percentage of food purchases is higher in family budgets. The percentage of budgets devoted to food particularly affects those in lower-income groups. Food banks in all cities are seeing increased demand due to this rise. Food prices are driven by multiple factors such as energy costs, wages, transportation, climate change, political disruptions such as wars, and retailing. One factor that has inflated costs is the oligopoly of a few food processing firms and corporate greed, given the term “greedflation.” According to an article in Portside, a Progressive publication, only a few companies control all aspects of the food industry. We see all the brand “choices” owned by a few mega food...
A Progressive Viewpoint concerns progressive topics focusing on current issues such as the 2024 Presidential Election, income inequality, food prices, social justice, universal health care and participatory democreacy.