So, what is the deal with food inflation?

Come back down lil' food man

For many people, the thought of food inflation doesn't register in the at a high level in their daily lives. It's like my wife telling me the upcoming lineup for this season's Dancing With The Stars is. Meh, don't care. You hear about the pending inflation, watch a blip or two on the television and may see a headline in the money section of your newspaper. For those of us in the industry, it hits home, and this current inception that is lambasting our industry could affect every single one of us for years to come.

So, how does food inflation happen?

By definition, food inflation is exactly what it seems. Consumers (we) are now paying more for inflated food prices. In other words, if your monthly grocery budget was $500 a year ago, you are now likely paying closer to $600-plus, buying exactly the same products. Bummer. Food inflation is a worry for all of us because every segment of the population must eat. 450 lb. Guy in Prescott Arizona must have his 8 cheeseburgers, the Vegan in Berkley must have her medley of fresh greens for lunch and the malnourished villager in Africa must have his daily serving of grains.

While our friends over at federal reserve continues to assert that inflation is in check, its measure of inflation simply does not take into account higher food prices that have been continually rising. Thus, it is much more important to focus on the individual food prices - which we are all feeling currently.

Most of the major food commodities have been rising over the past several years. Corn, soybean, wheat, milk, coffee and cocoa have risen considerably.

Is food a commodity or is a commodity food?

Add higher energy costs that also impact the price of food and it's a handicap wrestling match.  In short, the food manufactures and distributors will pass on the higher costs to you - the buyer. These costs ultimately translate into the inflated prices that you are now seeing at your local grocery store.

So, what can you do?

Since these costs aren't going to stabilize anytime soon, here are a few things you can do to combat this commodity bull crap that has put a stranglehold on your wallet.

1. Eat less - Spring and summer are coming. Do you need to eat a half sleeve of fig newtons? Probably not. You want to look good in that speedo at the family Barbecue, so save a few newtons for a later date.
2. Start a garden - I know, crazy right? For the non-food versed folks out there that may not have been in on the secret - Lot's of food actually comes from the ground! Yes, it's true. It's also pretty cheap to start a garden and you would be surprised of some of the yields you get from some fruits and vegetables in a small area in your backyard.
3. Eat leftovers - Went to Olive Garden last night? Well, with that entree that you purchased, you could live off the leftovers for a few days, or feed a small African village.  Enjoy the tour of Italy at your own table with a glass of your own wine. Play the part, and act like you even cooked that fettuccine.
4. Consider beans and eggs for your proteins - Like many of us carnivores, we like to build a meal around a good chunk of meat. Unfortunately, this can get to be a bit pricey if you like grass fed or certain high-end cuts. Create a  “breakfast” for dinner  model– with eggs as the main course. Beans also provide a nice source of protein and can augment a smaller amount of meat in dishes like tacos and chili to bulk up the recipe with out increasing the cost per meal. We've done it a few times and enjoy going "meatless" on Mondays.

Like most industry's that buy-in to speculation and suffer the disheartening truth of being driven by speculation and commodity intensive dynamics - we are the one's to suffer. But, these days you can fight back with your fork on how you choose to combat this. Everyone has the ability to vote and you can do that right at home in your kitchen.