Although unemployment continues dropping and wages are on the rise, all across the country, low-income people are struggling to put food on the table as skyrocketing inflation and high gas prices take a bigger bite of their already-small paychecks.
And experts say there's little reprieve in sight because of a combination of factors, including COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions, Russia's war on Ukraine, and corporate price-gouging. Further out, high fertilizer costs could compound the issues.
For Americans with savings or high-paying jobs, the increases are easier to absorb. But for those who were already struggling, the rapid increases are forcing even tougher choices about what, when and how often to eat. Acknowledging that corporate profits for food conglomerates have been at record highs, Brown said he suspects that will change over the coming months as those companies are forced to offer higher wages to their workers, who are themselves paying more for food and fuel. He said 80% of the cost of food comes after it leaves a farmer's property, from the fuel needed to transport cows or corn, to the markup charged from turning a steer into prepackaged barbecue beef on a grocer's shelf.
Experts also worry the trickle-down effect of high food prices, especially for healthy, high quality food, risks setting more kids up for a lifetime of health problems, from obesity to diabetes. Kraft counsels families she works with to try cooking at home more often, turning the process into an adventure for kids. She said she's often surprised how few children ever eat fresh fruits or vegetables, and teaching them to make careful but healthy choices now can pay dividends later, she said.
But some Republican governors have been withdrawing their states from those expanded programs, arguing that people should get jobs rather than depend on government handouts, especially at a time when so many businesses are hiring.
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