Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Liz <liz@allslash.org>]

At 11:31 AM 5/20/2008, you wrote:


> Food stamp recipients pinched by high food prices
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004423780_webfoodstamps19.html

This confirms what store owners are telling me, not that anyone with 
a lick of common sense wouldn't have seen it coming. I inspected a 
meat market today that makes up a special bundle each month at a 
reduced price for their elderly and low-income customers. The owner 
said he used to not sell all of the meat he set aside for it. Now, he 
says, he sells it all on the first day of the month, and has people 
standing in line when the last one is sold. He said he has two 
classes of customers now--the ones who are still living high on the 
hog and buying the most expensive steaks and chops, and the ones who 
can only afford ground beef, which includes the people who used to 
buy roasts and some steaks.

If there is any silver lining to this picture, it is that grocery 
store beef and pork are approaching the prices of grass-fed meats 
available in the health food stores, that only the wealthy and 
extremely health-conscious used to buy. A health food store near me 
that takes food stamps says they've had a substantial increase in 
business from food stamp recipients recently. There isn't anywhere 
near as much difference in price between them and the supermarkets 
now as there used to be, but of course there is still a very limited 
availability of the grass-fed meat.

Liz in SW VA
http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com

Liz