[Phant0m51]

Prices of groceries are going to skyrocket, probably going 100% increase in total costs. Stock up on canned goods NOW, to help you out later. I'm not joking and it's not a conspiracy. Wal-mart sent out a flyer to every employee telling them all to stock up on goods because of the expected massive jump in prices. Kroger has done the same thing with all of their employees.

Stock up on anything that'll last a long time before being opened, make sure you spend alot of money on it now, because in 6-8 months prices are going to break your wallets.

[Chris]

Indirectly fear mongering just adds to shit like this.

Wal-mart sent out a flyer to every employee telling them all to stock up on goods because of the expected massive jump in prices.

I can tell you for a fact "every Wal-Mart employee" did NOT receive any flyer of what you're saying. Do you know how much hype and news would be all over this, even if they gave it to ONE employee, let alone every? I don't know where you heard that but it's bullshit.

Of course food prices are going up, just as everything else is. But to me this is crap. The panic and getting people panicked with you is of course going to set off a negative reaction.

[Torx]

since when did warning citizens become an american thing?

[thadood]

Lol, corporations don't care about their employees.

[PencilWntGtU2TheMoon]

Mine do.

[MSP]

I've been thinking about doing this anyway, so I may. But here's the million dollar question - what kinds of canned goods would be the best to buy? I'm talking the longest shelf life, and the highest caloric / nutritional content. I'm guessing stuff like refried beans, peanut butter, etc.

I do think it's fear mongering though. If Wal-Mart had sent out such a notice on a national level it would have made the news.

[PencilWntGtU2TheMoon]

As your first tier you should just have a lot of shit that you use anyway. So, it will be rotated, and expiry is not a major concern. I doubt you are going to prepare for 10 years with no food.

As a second tier, you might want to stock up on some nitrogen packed cans of grains and various TVP and freeze-dried vegetable products.

I recommend a year of food and consumables for your family. If you need more than that, there will be more important factors - how tight you are with your friends, family, and God. And whether or not in this extreme and protracted crisis you can pay your property taxes.

[MSP]

I found this guide online. I'm going to check around for those survival places that sell complete packages. I'll buy a year supply, keep it until a year or two before it expires, donate it to charity, write it off on my taxes, and repeat. That will keep the cost (and hassle) of preparedness pretty low.

Consumer's Guide

Shelf Life of Foods for Storage (Unopened)
Here are some general guidelines for rotating common emergency foods to ensure the best quality of the products.

• Use within six months:
  • Powdered milk (boxed)
  • Dried fruit (in metal container)
  • Dry, crisp crackers (in metal container)
  • Potatoes
• Use within one year:
  • Canned condensed meat and vegetable soups
  • Canned fruits, fruit juices and vegetables
  • Ready-to-eat cereals and uncooked instant cereals (in metal containers)
  • Peanut butter
  • Jelly
  • Hard candy, chocolate bars and canned nuts
• May be stored indefinitely* (in proper containers and conditions):
  • Wheat
  • Vegetable oils
  • Corn
  • Baking powder
  • Soybeans
  • Instant coffee, tea
  • Cocoa
  • Salt
  • Noncarbonated soft drinks
  • White rice
  • Bouillon products
  • Dry pasta
  • Vitamin C
  • Powdered milk (in nitrogen-packed cans)

[PencilWntGtU2TheMoon]

If you buy that shit you need to eat it. You buy it for one of two reasons:

1. Offset rising food costs while still living a normal life - It better be edible to you, and you should be using it and replacing it. Or,

2. Crisis food when food is either too expensive or even unavailable - If it's shit hit the fan, food might not be your only problem. Good luck figuring out how to prepare hard whole grains for the first time when you don't have electricity, gas, or oil. They can even make you sick or worse with a sudden diet change.

They all say stock up on food you use. Then, when you buy the bulk, long-term storage foods because they are cheaper, can feed people for a longer amount of time per pound/$, you need to incoporate that stuff into you diet to limitted extent make sure you can use it.

Properly prepared, you should not be worried that much about shelf life since you will never have more than a year of food in reserve and you will be using it and replacing it over a three year cycle. (exceptions are foods containing unsaturated oils).

[PencilWntGtU2TheMoon]

Hope I didn't sound preachy, just trying to help. Before Y2K I bought a lot of stuff that was basically unusable. And it probably would have last me two months! Well, of course, everybody should have far more than two months worth of simple normal supplies to start with.

[MSP]

A simple package that would provide a family of four meals for 3 months is about $900. I bet I could do better with regular canned good and just rotate as you suggested.

[Phant0m51]

Originally Posted by Chris

Indirectly fear mongering just adds to shit like this.



I can tell you for a fact "every Wal-Mart employee" did NOT receive any flyer of what you're saying. Do you know how much hype and news would be all over this, even if they gave it to ONE employee, let alone every? I don't know where you heard that but it's bullshit.

Of course food prices are going up, just as everything else is. But to me this is crap. The panic and getting people panicked with you is of course going to set off a negative reaction.

I'll see if I can get my buddy's newsletter scanned for you. He's a driver for Wal-mart. My dad has also been working for Smith's food & drug (now owned by Kroger) for roughly 20 years, and he says that all the buyers for Smith's are starting to panic about prices going up. Utah alone has had a 19% increase in grocery costs over the past 6 months, and it's expected to go up much higher. I'm not fear mongering, it's just that with the record high gas prices, floods in Iowa, and weird weather all around that food prices are going to go up.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Phant0m51

I'll see if I can get my buddy's newsletter scanned for you. He's a driver for Wal-mart. My dad has also been working for Smith's food & drug (now owned by Kroger) for roughly 20 years, and he says that all the buyers for Smith's are starting to panic about prices going up. Utah alone has had a 19% increase in grocery costs over the past 6 months, and it's expected to go up much higher. I'm not fear mongering, it's just that with the record high gas prices, floods in Iowa, and weird weather all around that food prices are going to go up.

Still, there's no way it came directly from within the big companies like that. It was probably something spread around by co-workers. Like I said earlier, memos (secret or otherwise) and things that get spread around are almost always reported to news agencies within hours of their "release".

Remember when Sam's Club (Wal-Mart) cut the limit on bags of rice to two per person? The news picked up on that before that policy even went into effect.

I believe you that food prices, as well as everything else, are going up. It is a terrible shame. But the more the public (you and I) try and keep our heads over this, the longer we can try and get through it. Better days are absolutely ahead, I have faith in that.

[Phant0m51]

You have more faith in this country than I do Chris. I hope you're right, but just incase you aren't, I'm going to be stocking up for the long haul

[Ranger]

I get a case or 2 free each time we go to drill.

I probably have enough to last me personally 3-4 months if needed :P

My family thinks i'm crazy but w/e. They can worry about food if all hell breaks loose.

[mistawiskas]

This is no secret. I've been telling you all this crap is coming down for awhile now. Grain prices will be the first to go ape shit. This, because, in a desparate tactic to keep us addicted to gasoline and lower use of mid eastern oil, all our corn and other grains are being proccessed by ADM ajnd other lawmakers buddies into ethanol. So now we'll have a shortage of food
caused by the insessant need to burn petroleum in cars. rice producing nations have begun outlawing exports and are hording the stuff they produce.
The upper rungs of the ladder will feel little more than an ass ache, the people towards the bottom.....well, you'll all get to live as I get to now. Stocking up may not be a bad idea, if you can afford to. all I can afford is one meal a day as it is. Not to stock up because of huge assed increases alone, but the lawlessness and rioting that is bound to ensue. The oil industry proved to all other industries that the consumer will take it in the ass without lube. Now they all want to poke our asses. stock up ion lots and lots of beans. that way, when our asses get reamed at the store, we can make them breath our farts. Because, not standing up for ourselves has done nothing but give corporate america a huge raging hard-on.

[Goofus Maximus]

Not to mention that all the farm equipment and fertilizer and weed/insect control chemicals contribute to one VERY oil-intensive farming economy.

[mistawiskas]

Record Food Prices and Record Farm Profits, Why Record Farm Subsidies? — KCRW 'nuf said.

[mistawiskas]

Says it all:

[Mince]

Just buy yourself a bunch of hot pockets and call it a day

They come in many different "flavors"!

[Coleman]

Lean pockets are where it's at. If it weren't for such a high sodium count you could almost call them healthy!