Food Inflation Perspective

 

To read the chart:

Red lines and numbers on the left axis are the number of hours/week people work to purchase a week of groceries.

Black lines and numbers on the right axis and the bars are Food Inflation

Green lines show the President in charge and Pre-Covid vs Post Covid time periods.

 

What does all of this mean?

1. Covid clearly caused food prices to go up.
2. Food affordability actually improved since 2015.  4.2 hours/week in 2015—3.6 hours/week in 2024
3. Food inflation started under Trump during Covid and is now below where he ended, and affordability is still well below the 2015-19 average.
4. YES—food is more expensive.  BUT—we have more money to spend on it and more time to go to restaurants (my opinion based upon experience lately.)

 

What I hear on the news most days is not what these charts are saying.  Back in the 80’s when I took Dale Carnegie training, he taught a 3-step process for solving problems.  His main point was that identifying the PROBLEM is harder than you think. 

1. Identify the problem.
2. Possible solutions.
3. Best possible solution.

 

Well, FOOD INFLATION, according to these charts, is NOT the problem.  In my opinion, National Debt and Deficits, getting Wall Street influence out of Washington, fixing our immigration system which is essential to our success and has been a problem for 40+ years—these are the issues, that if addressed correctly, will improve our chances of continuing the America we know and love, which currently is one of the best economies in the world—and at least part of why we have an illegal immigration problem.  Have you ever heard of anyone immigrating to Russia, Hungary, China, or North Korea?  Nor have I.