Wed, Nov 25 2009
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Area consumers are seeing food increases across the board.
In March 2007, T-bone steaks were $7.99 a pound; this year they are $8.99. The foundation for every peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Wonder Bread, is 20 cents more a loaf this year than last, according to prices reported in The Joplin Globe. Last week, one grocer ran a special for two half-gallon cartons of milk for $3. Last year during the same period, it was three half-gallon cartons for $4. Other dairy products, such as cheese and cottage cheese, also have jumped. Last week, cottage cheese was $2.79 and another type of cheese was $4.99, compared to last year’s prices of $1.79 and $3.99 for the same products. Shoppers paid $2.79 for 18 eggs last week, compared to a dozen eggs last year for $1. Tyson fresh-cut chicken breasts were $1.89 to $2.99 a pound in the Joplin area last year; this year, those prices are $4.99 to $5.69 at the same grocery store. And fresh produce trucked in from California and Florida is being affected by higher diesel prices. This year, roma tomatoes are 30 cents more per pound, asparagus is 50 cents more, and strawberries nearly $1 more per pound. A staple of the American diet, wheat, is affecting the price of many items. Wheat hit almost $13 a bushel in February before falling back to $7.29 a bushel at the beginning of March. It was back up over $12 last week. According to the USDA, the average price for a bushel of wheat was $4.55 in 1996. At the beginning of the year, the USDA was projecting an average price of $6.45 to $6.85 a bushel for 2008, but that was before crude oil hit $111 last week. Rolf Wilkin, founder and owner of Eureka Pizza, a regional chain with 12 locations in Missouri and Arkansas, said the price for his ingredients has skyrocketed. Cheese prices are up 85 percent since last year, and it’s costing him more than ever to transport in his tomato sauce from California. Even the cost of his soft drinks is going up because of its plastic packaging. Wheat prices hit $25 per bushel on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange two weeks ago before falling back, according to Wilkin. “The historic range has been $3 to $7 per bushel,” added Wilkin, who is based in Siloam Springs, Ark. ‘Rapid inflation’ 
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