The Food Shortage Panic of 2008
Once upon a time, in a land far far away, harsh weather conditions caused a crop shortage. The crops that were left were in short supply, and with growing demand, prices began to increase. This left many people wondering how they were going to afford many basic foods.
On the other side of the world…
The media, hearing that staple grains like rice and wheat were scarce on the other side of the world, began taking advantage of the situation. They labeled the problems in other countries a “global crisis” and watched as news of this dilemma improved their ratings.
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Media-induced panic no longer comes as a shock to me. In their quest for viewers and readers, the media often irresponsibly incites mass hysteria. You may recall the epidemic of Bird Flu that was rumored to kill us all and the SARS scare that kept so many people indoors…
Did you know that Bird Flu has killed less than 250 people in the last five years? And that SARS is responsible for less than 800 deaths? Malaria, on the other hand, is responsible for approximately 3 million deaths per year, as are diarrheal diseases. The simple truth is that you are more at risk of a getting hit by a car or being struck by lightening than you are of contracting either one of these diseases.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t worry about bad things happening. Worry keeps us in check; it helps improve our judgment in the face of danger. But raw panic without reason makes every situation worse.
Since the media is always looking for the next best scare, I would like to announce: The Food Storage Panic of 2008
The background story
Australia, one of the largest worldwide distributors of wheat and rice, has been suffering through a seemingly never-ending drought. Where rice and wheat fields once flourished, only dry dirt remains. Over the past few years, this has caused a decrease in 98% of Australia’s rice and wheat.
As exports have lessened, demand has significantly increased. Coupled with rising oil and commodity prices, the amount of available grains has caused quite a stir in several countries.
Fortunately for the U.S., wheat, rice, and other staples are thriving. Our market has had no problem keeping up with demand—until the mass hysteria started.
The problem
When the media equated Australia’s problems with a worldwide epidemic, we all started rushing to the grocery store to fill our shelves with the things the media told us we need most. Distributors, not planning on such a high demand, have become backed up on outstanding orders. In the spirit of keeping a loyal customer base, retailers have begun to place purchase limits on certain grains, not because of a food shortage, but because of a distribution deficiency and an inability to predict the sudden increase in demand.
Luckily, our outlook is bright. Grain manufacturers are working double-time and limits on food are certain to be short lived.
Let’s take this a step further
Even though we are not actually in a state where food is scarce, what would happen to you if the situation we have been recently scared into believing was true? What if there was a worldwide drought and wheat, rice, oats, and other staples were unavailable to the masses?
Would you be prepared? Would your cupboards be full, or would you find yourself looking into the eyes your hungry children trying to explain how the last bag of rice was clawed out of your hands at the empty grocery store?
Like I mentioned earlier, worrying can be good, but having knowledge and information is better. Are you prepared for hard times? Are you aware of your preparation options? Panic is never the right answer, so take a deep breath and create a good plan.
Of interest is the USDA’s May 2008 report titled, “Global Agricultural Supply and Demand: Factors Contributing to the Recent Increase in Food Commodity Prices”.
(available here: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/WRS0801/WRS0801.pdf)
Don’t panic, but don’t wait either. Take action. 2008 is a very good year to get prepared!
Comment by T-Bone — May 8, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
LOL this post is awesome. Sure we had some food. But it’s true I fell for the media’s “food storage panic” but now I actually feel much better about our situation. We now have the wheat, the rice and other things for 1 whole year. Better to be scared into preparing while there are still stores with a plethora of food products than when the stores no longer have anything on their shelves. Apparently, we need the media sometimes to kick us into gear if we don’t listen to the Prophets and their counsel. It’s just another source telling us that we need to be prepared.
Comment by Linda — May 8, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
The thing is, though, whether the supply problem is real or hyped, it doesn’t matter — either one can empty our shelves in a matter of a day or two. Food storage can protect us from panic as well as true food shortages.
Comment by Michelle — May 8, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
It’s true sometimes scares can motivate us but at what cost? If we listen to the prophets first and have our food storage we won’t pay such an outrageous price and we can ride out the panic and high prices!
Comment by Amy — May 8, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
We were told today that we were rationed at the Storehouse. Salt Lake has the Storehouse on an ‘allowance’. I didn’t put off buying food storage, I was out of work for 15 months. A little extra from a recent car accident is the only reason I can add to my preparations today. My former Bishop’s brother raises wheat and it is exported, he says, so is the seed which could be even worse.We are exporting our grains to pay for oil, I have heard. Fear is never a good motivator. A former Journalist, the media is behaving very badly. But, we are hearing this from our leaders too. What to do? At this point, I need a job! Where are our LDS employers?
Comment by Reina — May 8, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
It doesn’t help that it takes something like a years supply of grain to make enough ethanol to fill your car once. That’s a major contributor our high food prices.
Comment by Jerald — May 9, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
My wife and I were using our tax return to get our year supply together, and we found it difficult to get only a few things. The prices haven’t gone up that high either. If you want to get an idea of what it could be like with the USA getting hammered, and having a food shortage, watch the TV series “Jerhico” on NBC.com. That was interesting.
Comment by Jim — May 9, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
Wow! What a great article. I really knew in the back of my mind that this in some way was “media induced food panic”, but I also knew that it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more prepared either. After spending 8 months very ill, and really not able to go grocery shopping, we used up alot of our storage…then when I started feeling better this false “panic attack” hit…it made me take a hard look at what we really had…I spend one month and $1500.00 getting our act and storage together. I don’t know how much the previously mentioned tax return was BUT I able to buy ALOT for that $1500.00 which included the storage buckets and other various containers to store the food in. Just make sure you do your homework and shop at the right places. Buying in bulk and storing it in large quantities is alot cheaper, BUT you have to learn how to USE it and rotate it. I purchased several books on “how to” that have really helped alot. I appreciate Shelf Reliance for the candid articles and information not always based on selling their product. It’s a major help that would lead to actually purchase this product when space and $$ allow. Thank you.
Comment by Rebecca — May 9, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
Interesting artical. Whether Media induced panic or not you still cannot get rice in bulk at any of the Associated food stores, why? In talking to Maceys Emrgency Preparedness Vendor, they have a train car load of rice on order 3 weeks ago, still can’t get it.
Comment by Fred — May 12, 2008 @ 6:23 am
Great article. While we have plenty of rice and wheat saved up, this caused us to look at other foods we might need. We have begun turning our backyard into a large garden area, growing assorted vegetables and fruit which can be canned, frozen or dried. Instead of tilling up the grass, my husband has built garden boxes that are thigh to hip high. Keep up the good work in providing these informative articles.
Comment by Suzanne — May 12, 2008 @ 10:43 am
We have been raising foods in our small back yard for many years. We use raised boxes and it makes it a lot easier to manage. We keep the weeds down by using our grass clippings in the paths around the grow boxes. Then in two years we put the grass clippings in the boxes for mulch. Thank goodness for parents who taught us how to raise gardens, because it has come in handy every year. We have even taught the Activity Day girls in our ward about raising a garden and they planted our garden last year. They even got the benefits of the harvest.
Comment by Merv — May 12, 2008 @ 1:32 pm