The Cattle Network is not a website I frequent regularly, but during an unrelated search regarding food, I came across a list they have published showing the percent change in food prices. The most recent statistical data they have published shows May 2007 compared to May 2008. They have a breakdown of popular meat/dairy products, field crops, fruits and vegetables, expertly organized to show the unit of measurement (box, pound, ton, gallon, etc.), price in 2007, price in 2008 and the percent change experienced over a 12 month span, and boy are the numbers telling…

First let’s look at the highest percent change vs. the lowest percent change. The highest percent change was experienced by Lemons, with a net percent increase of 155.16%, and the lowest percent change was Tangerines with -64.84%. I find this rather puzzling, and maybe someone more voiced in food economy could help me out here, but I have trouble making sense of this one. Are people starting to embrace the versatility of the lemon, thus sending the prices upwards as we all scramble to find inexpensive ways to season, polish our floors, and cure our acne? And what about the tangerine? Have people simply forgotten about it?

Not surprisingly, almost everything included on this list has seen price increases since 2007. The exceptions to this are the tangerine, sliced bacon, oranges, pears, carrots, and cucumbers. Without too much thought, as I am in a rush to play tour guide for some friends that are in town, I think the take away advice from the Cattle Network is that we need to start embracing bacon and citrus fruits. If we want to be educated consumers it is in our best interest to start making dishes that shy away from traditional ingredients like milk, eggs, steak, potatoes and tomatoes, and start using some of the lesser-loved foods like pear, carrot and cucumber soup with a bacon strip garnish.

Here is the link to the article for you to check out - Cattle Network Price of Food, May 2007:2008

June 27th, 2008 | Best and Worst Lists, Realpolitik, Natural Disasters