What is happening with our food and is there a crisis?

Over the weekend I did the family food shopping and had an epiphany moment.

These days, my wife usually orders the shopping online from one of the major supermarkets, done for convenience, and other than put in my order I have little to do with what goes on, other than noting costs creeping up, in much the same way as is happening to energy bills and recently to petrol prices. But this weekend was different as I set out to bringing in the supplies for this coming week.

My epiphany moment was that compared to a year ago the price of our weekly shopping has not gone up by 5 or even 10 percent, which might have been expected, but a whacking over 30 percent, with our family income, as with that of most, increasing by nowhere near that amount. Likely related, is a supply chain issue, with some of the shelves empty and there was less choice than previously. The shopping was done at a medium sized supermarket where prices are reasonable and given it was all under one roof we could get more or less all what we wanted food wise for the coming week. It also begged the question, should we stock up on a month’s supply (say) of non-perishable items given the situation looks likely to get worse?

And we are the lucky ones, for we have continued to buy what we like to eat and eat as we always have, knowing we have the wherewithal to do so. But not so with some. A little while back, I was given the heads up this was an issue when I was asked if I would like to be interviewed for a BBC documentary that was impacting on how these price rises were affecting families, particularly the less well off, there being many on the Cluny Square estate where I live. I declined because we were alright. A further heads up was the interest taken by our local council and the growth of food banks and the like. I am also conscious, we in the affluent West have it easy compared with many in the rest of the world who live on basics, if not starving.

As is often the case with me, I had to ask questions and wanted to know more. When I googled the subject and looked at more radical social media sites, like Bitchute and Rumble, I was astounded how much had been written and said on the subject, offering a variety of views. To do a proper analysis would require a lot more research, maybe culminating in a follow up to this stake in the ground blog. But I will refer to two short, well presented reports, one from the world bank and therefore mainstream: “Why Is the World Facing a Food Crisis? | The Development Podcast” and one from Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, the maybe acceptable face of alternative media as less tainted with conspiracy theories: “Food Crisis: What the Cluck is going on?” There are of course many conspiracy theorists offering reasons, like those arguing the food crisis is part of the plan by the evil cabal wanting to depopulate and enslave humanity. But I won’t be tempted to go down the many rabbit holes pointing out many of these theories may well be facts.

One factor behind the “crisis” is the escalating War in Ukraine, but I am happy to accept the view expressed in the World Bank video that gave plausible reasons how it was in the making before Russia invaded Ukraine. Yesterday, I signed a petition: “Referendum on ending government’s economically costly Ukraine/Russia policies. The government, unless they change their policies, (including ending economically self-defeating sanctions against Russia (causing energy price rises) and sending billions in arms to Ukraine, instead becoming neutral peacemakers), to hold a UK wide referendum on the subject within six months maximum”. I could add more, such as to suggest using the money saved to solve the food crisis or at least help those affected, rather than engage in a course of action which, as I have argued, is an unrighteous one.

One of my conspiracy theorist friends laments that people are not waking up to anywhere near the extent needed to fully expose and combat the evil intents of the cabal, but along with threats to our money (discussed in my recent “World War 3 about to begin; Banks about to collapse” blog) there is the food crisis and many more are entering poverty, that might well elicit the desired action. Before people comment it is easy for me to pontificate, having the luxury as a keyboard warrior operating from my comfy office chair, who doesn’t have to “go to work”, I do so as a watchman on the wall that both warns and prays. I also do so as a community activist, who works with those of all faiths and none to help the homeless and poor and researches what is out there by way of help (e.g. see here) and who volunteers at one of those places which do help, including providing food for those without the means to pay.