Posted:
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
Category:
Alcohol & Food Safety
Everyone has noticed the increased prices of, well, just about everything. This isn’t just inflation, either – everything has jumped in price, from tires to doorknobs, bananas to pajamas. This increase in prices is noticeable best in places like restaurants, and in this article, we’ll explain why. We’ll also take a look at how you can worm your way around these raised prices by shopping and eating differently, and what kind of foods you can avoid to keep your wallet as fat as possible.
Firstly, the cost of growing food itself has gone up. Since the cost of gas has fluctuated so much recently, the farming equipment used to grow is more expensive to operate. Job cutbacks have been made everywhere, so there are less people to produce roughly the same amount of food. The cost of other materials used in the production of food have also increased, and all of these factors bundle together to significantly raise the overall cost of production. Gas prices have also impacted shipping, and since some ingredients are shipped long distances before production can even begin, this creates a major impact on the cost as well.
This can all happen before the food even reaches a processing center. If you’re buying something that isn’t being assembled at the restaurant itself, like wine, you’ll see a more significant increase in price with these items. Even with items that are made from scratch but with a lot of ingredients, the ingredients all have to be shipped individually and can put a higher price tag on the food. Paying all the costs of operating a restaurant remains the same, but with higher prices on the actual ingredients for the food, the extra money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is you.
The best thing you can do to avoid overpaying at restaurants is to eat at places that support local growers and producers. While these places might already have been pricier, they’ve likely been impacted significantly less than others, and so the prices will probably have evened out somewhat (and you’ll be getting better food). Restaurants that have been impacted the most will be places that buy foreign ingredients, or other products that have to be shipped long distances. Keep these simple tips in mind, and you’ll be sure to avoid paying needlessly high shipping prices for food that’s been in a freezer for days on end.
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