- Federal officials said earlier this month that inflation had peaked in 40 years and that the consumer price index jumped 8.5% year-on-year. For those who were already having a hard time, the rapid rises are forcing even harder choices about what, when and how often to eat.
- On average, Americans spend about 10% of their income on food. The poorest Americans pay closer to 30%.
- Experts worry that high food prices mean more children will grow up with poor nutrition, making more children ready for a lifetime of health problems, from obesity to diabetes.
AURORA, Colorado – Kevin Tave stretches a pot of spaghetti for three-day meals. Esmerelda Cortez gets eggs and bread from the food bank, so she can afford detergent in the store. Donnie Whitfield buys generic grain products instead of the Kellogg’s he prefers.
Although unemployment continues to fall and wages are rising, low-income people across the country are struggling to get food on the table as rising inflation and high petrol prices take a bigger bite out of their already small pay slips.