Food shortages

**Wildthang** · 09-16-2012, 01:26 PM

Have you guys been reading about the coming food shortages? I have been reading a lot about it, and it seems that the government is buying MRE's at an alarming rate along with everybody else. I ordered some dehydrated supplies recently and got a message back that due to an unordinarily high order rate, it would be 14 days until my supplies were shipped. I'm thinking that dehydrated foods, and long term storage food is going to be hard to get in the near future, and the price will go up a lot sooner than we think.
Knowing the US has a better food supply than the rest of the world, this is disturbing because it seems to make one think that even the government knows something is coming, and not telling us, duh what's new! I am prepared better than most, but it still concerns me that the people that do really know, wouldn't tell the public so at least they have a chance to prepare.
I think if we have another drought next year, we will see the food SHTF shortly after that.

What is your opinion on this?

**BENESSE** · 09-16-2012, 02:49 PM

It's good to keep up your supplies no matter what you hear. This kind of psychosis has been going on for years and if you try to react to it every time you'll drive yourself insane..
My approach, for better or worse, has always been to be prepared and stock up at the highest level I can afford regardless of what's happening around me. The upside is obvious, the downside practically non existent.

**canid** · 09-16-2012, 03:00 PM

I agree with this. Store what you can get and will use and you will have a cushion should supply be interrupted for any reasons. I advise this all the more when circumstances clearly evidence a lower than usual productivity for the growing season. We've had droughts before. We've had a growing ethanol industry dipping out of our production capacity for years. We've seen prices climb from cheap to not-quite cheap and it's never been a bad idea to buy sooner any commodity which is likely cost more later.

**canid** · 09-16-2012, 03:06 PM

As for government agencies contracting up MREs, this happens every year. To start with, they have storage lives and stock must be rotated. Next, they get consumed and must be replaces. Finally, we seem to go through lots and lots of relief supplies of all sorts during hurricane, and all extreme weather and fire seasons.

In my head, the more panicky people seem to sound like this: "Oh my god, FEMA's stocking up on food prior to hurricane, tornado and fire season; they must know something I don't..."

**jfeatherjohn** · 09-16-2012, 03:20 PM

Shipping costs are a big reason for my preparedness; like Amazon free shipping, and many other places that have different shipping policies.
I purchase something, the add one or two.MREs to get to free shipping. Not only is one of the MREs essentially free, but one has to buy another duffel for
the back-up food.
I like the guys at our "off the grid" store here in town; I'll stop by just to chat. I'll kinda look in my wallet, then buy one or two MREs.
I call it unintentional preparedness.
I think Go Foods is still offering their sampler pack for $9.95; that's 3 meals for 4 people and some water boosters.
All of a sudden, I'm alot more prepared than I was.
Many of you have figured out that I'm not a prepper, but I can be one fewer person in line at the grocery store, or the gas station, when everyone gets nervous.
So, start now...little by little.
BTW, the ballast in my kitchen light failed. I can't work
over my head like that, so for the weekend, I'm using my solar/crank lantern in there.
A little preparation goes a long way, even if the **** doesn't hit the fan.
Or if the Arab fall leads us into winter.
Do it...

**canid** · 09-16-2012, 03:26 PM

You sound like a prepper to me. You don't have to go crazy with it to qualify. You just have to be ready for those things life actually throws at you which you are able.

**SARKY** · 09-16-2012, 04:20 PM

I was doing some research for my book and found this out
1: The worlds supply of food is just 47 days worth
2: In the 1970s the USDA HAD a 7 year supply of food for every man, woman and child in the USA. It has since been doled out as foreign aid and not replenished.
3: American cities have an average 2 days worth of food in them

Just some things to think about. I'll add one more
In the 1960s, the shelter program could house up to 63,000,000 Americans. That system has been replaced by camps while at the same time our politicians have improved the living conditions of their taxpayer funded shelters.

**natertot** · 09-16-2012, 05:03 PM

Something will always happen eventually and it is always better to have a few things on hand. Food shortage will cause prices to go up, but I don't think we will go without. Stock up just in case and have plans to acquire additional food. I'd eat a robin if it came down to it!

**natertot** · 09-16-2012, 05:07 PM

Sarky, I believe those things to be true. The people that began those federal preps were around during the Great Depression and WWII. They understood what it meant to be in the hurt locker. Those that followed and depleted the resources have the mentality of "it will never happen to me".

**mwp** · 09-16-2012, 05:25 PM

Prepper. I guess most of my life I have been to one degree or the other. But the last 14 years I have been a little more so. the last 4 I have been hard core about it. It is a good feeling to know that what ever happens you can feed your family for how ever long you have put up for. But like anything else things will eventually run out without resupplying. So I think one needs to prep for that also. There are to many things going on for me not to think something is up. So since I can only guess, I pray and prep. May God continue to have mercy on us. mwp

**kyratshooter** · 09-16-2012, 06:25 PM

When I was a kid store bought food was a rarity. My Mom canned food all summer and we had a pantry filled by this time of year with enough to last untill this time next year.

Most years we had 300 quarts of green beans, the same of canned tomatoes, a quart of corn canned for each meal for a year. A beef was put up each year as were a couple of hogs.

No one called us preppers and no one called us crazy. That was just what people that had lived through that depression did back in the '50s and '60s. Some folks called us "poor" but none called us deprived. If fast food existed I did not know about it!

Because we did not buy food at the store, or clothing to any great degree,(Mom sewed everything she wore and most of what we wore) my Mom could justify staying at home and doing all this work. Even in today's money she was saving $250 a week on food alone. She knew where her kids were at any point in time without having to pick up a cell phone.

There are lots of people out there (not all of them but some) that think the women of that era sat on their rears, watched soap opras and ate bon-bons all day. Had it made, just stayed home and goofed off. I have heard more than one woman inform her husband that he could plant all he wanted too she was not setting foot in that garden or cooking a bite of it. Shoot a deer, just put it in the dumpster, she would not cook it or eat it. Then she gripes because she "has to work".

Many of them hold a deep seated grudge because their husbands can not make enough for them to live the "good life" like grany did.

Granny worked her butt off!

We look at prepping as BUYING. We can't afford to "prep". We do not know how to get started "prepping".

Oh well,,,

**Rick** · 09-17-2012, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by Sarky

American cities have an average 2 days worth of food in them

It's called "Just In Time" (JIT) delivery. When you purchase an item at the store and it gets scanned the inventory information is sent to a central distribution warehouse. In the case of a Kroger that is an "In House" distributor. In the case of a WalMart it is a 3rd party vendor. The design is to have delivery just as the shelf goes bare. Hence the name Just In Time. It has nothing to do with food availability and everything to do with inventory costs.

**kyratshooter** · 09-17-2012, 08:53 AM

It really does not matter WHY Rick.

There is still just two days worth of food available at any given time.

If you stop or clog that supply channel it is the same as being in famine conditions.

**Rick** · 09-17-2012, 08:57 AM

I think you missed the point. The fact the food isn't in the store does NOT equate to famine. It's in the distribution center. They simply shifted the inventory costs to the distributor (where it's done by 3rd party). This isn't anything new and has been best practice for over a decade. How many famines have we had in the last 10 years?

This same idea gets resurrected about every 6 months. Just because the government is replenishing it's stores doesn't mean that we're running out.

Given the dismal production of corn and soybean this year you can expect higher prices fairly soon. That whole corn for alcohol idea is such a good one.......

**tjwilhelm** · 09-17-2012, 11:20 AM

Here are a few interesting articles related to the OP:

http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/9/1...eorists-say--2

http://www.businessinsider.com/ben-w...o-loses-2012-9

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-dev...-vegetarianism

**kyratshooter** · 09-17-2012, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Rick

I think you missed the point. The fact the food isn't in the store does NOT equate to famine. It's in the distribution center. They simply shifted the inventory costs to the distributor (where it's done by 3rd party). This isn't anything new and has been best practice for over a decade. How many famines have we had in the last 10 years?

This same idea gets resurrected about every 6 months. Just because the government is replenishing it's stores doesn't mean that we're running out.

Given the dismal production of corn and soybean this year you can expect higher prices fairly soon. That whole corn for alcohol idea is such a good one.......

No, I understand exactly what you are saying Rick.

It you arn't broke or hungry then no one is broke or hungry?

What I am saying is that it does not matter how much is in the storage centers if me or anyone else can not get to it! Your system only needs a teramster's strike or a few dozen people bombing bridges to bring the nation to its knees.

Famine is a nonspecific term. It is a widespread shortage of food due to many factors including group failure, overpopulation and GOVERNMENT POLICY!

In the late 1920s and early 1930s The Soviet government confiscated all the grain produced in the Ukrane and starved 15 million people to death to stop resistance to the takover of their government.

They changed the tax policy from a percentage basis to a quota basis, then raised the quota untill there was no food left. Survival of the State was more important than survival of the individual.

Remember that when the word "austarity" is thrown around.

**Rick** · 09-17-2012, 11:51 AM

That doesn't even warrant a response.

**Wildthang** · 09-17-2012, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by BENESSE

It's good to keep up your supplies no matter what you hear. This kind of psychosis has been going on for years and if you try to react to it every time you'll drive yourself insane..
My approach, for better or worse, has always been to be prepared and stock up at the highest level I can afford regardless of what's happening around me. The upside is obvious, the downside practically non existent.

Nessie, thanks for that comment! I think I have been reading too much and worrying way too much. So far I haven't reacted much at all, but I sure have been thinking about it. I need to keep reminding myself that my little farm couild probably feed 15 people if I planted the entire garden, pruned my apple trees and grape vines. Heck I even have 2 pear trees as well.
So I am not going to dump thousands of dollars on storage food because I already have a lot of it. But I have been reading some really disturbing things lately about food shortages, and I guess it's starting to worry me. Sometimes I feel like I should stop looking at anything on the internet except for this forum! I think you can literally read anything you want to hear on the net, and a lot of things you dont want to know. I know that there will be food shortages someday, and I hope I am not around to see it!

**SHTFMIKE** · 10-25-2012, 02:21 PM

The military has to replenish stock as they use it up and as the shelf life expires; what have you.
It is a fact that government is preparing for civil unrest as we speak. DHS buying way more ammo than usual. The arming of the IRS with firearms and their buying millions of rounds of ammo as well. Government agencies buying up MRE's as well.

Keep in mind the failed crops this year also. That will drive the cost of food way up in the coming months. Watch for the price of beef and pork to drop for a couple months then it will skyrocket. The price drop will be caused by ranchers "dumping" their livestock because of the high cost of feed. The coming price increase will be due to the insanely high cost of feed in the next few months.

As a result of this knowledge, what do you think many people are doing? Buying up what non-perishable foods they can, while they can still get it at a good price.
Hence the shortage and long shipping times.