Food Rationing In The United States?
by Jeff Davis
Increased fuel costs have recently caused food prices to rise dramatically since everything travels by diesel truck. Now it looks as though we may be seeing food shortages. The developing food crisis may prove to be the ultimate straw that breaks the camel’s back even more so than the skyrocketing cost of fuel and energy and the instability of the financial markets. It’s hitting us so suddenly and without warning that almost anything could happen next.
According to the New York Sun: “Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.”
The Sun goes on: “At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy. ‘Where’s the rice?’ an engineer from Palo Alto, Calif., Yajun Liu, said. ‘You should be able to buy something like rice. This is ridiculous.’ The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.”
The first signs of rationing are here.
The Sun article notes ” ‘Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history,’ a sign above the dwindling supply said. Shoppers said the limits had been in place for a few days, and that rice supplies had been spotty for a few weeks. A store manager referred questions to officials at Costco headquarters near Seattle, who did not return calls or e-mail messages yesterday. An employee at the Costco store in Queens said there were no restrictions on rice buying, but limits were being imposed on purchases of oil and flour. Internet postings attributed some of the shortage at the retail level to bakery owners who flocked to warehouse stores when the price of flour from commercial suppliers doubled.”
The Sun continues: “The curbs and shortages are being tracked with concern by survivalists who view the phenomenon as a harbinger of more serious trouble to come. ‘It’s sporadic. It’s not every store, but it’s becoming more commonplace,’ the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, James Rawles, said. ‘The number of reports I’ve been getting from readers who have seen signs posted with limits has increased almost exponentially, I’d say in the last three to five weeks.’ Spiking food prices have led to riots in recent weeks in Haiti, Indonesia, and several African nations. India recently banned export of all but the highest quality rice, and Vietnam blocked the signing of (a) new contract for foreign rice sales. ‘I’m surprised the Bush administration hasn’t slapped export controls on wheat,’ Mr. Rawles said. ‘The Asian countries are here buying every kind of wheat.’ ”
Perhaps Mr. Bush was too busy drawing up plans for a war on Iran.
The times we live in are becoming more and more interesting. The stock market and the subprime mortgage crisis are knocking over financial dominoes left and right. The high gas prices are painful and many people have already cut back on driving. Eating, however, is something no one can cut back on beyond a certain point without descending to a Third World standard. All of the other problems can still be glossed over and probably will be for some time to come; food prices and food shortages and food rationing and just plain unavailability can’t be.