8 Ways to Prepare for Rising Food Prices
Rising food prices have been in the news a lot lately. You may have heard the news last week that, come mid-January, General Mills will raise prices up to 20% on hundreds of products, spanning dozens of brands. Which just goes to show that higher food prices are probably here to stay.
General Mills has now joined the ranks of many other big brands who have warned of rising food prices in 2022. According to CNN, some of these brands include Tyson, Kraft Heinz (which, in this report has said it will raise prices 20% on its macaroni and cheese products, among others), Mondelez, Proctor and Gamble, Kimberly Clark, and others.
When you think about all these brands, some of which own dozens of smaller companies, you wind up with hundreds and hundreds of products that will cost more starting next month.
Preparing Now for Rising Food Prices
I already get sticker shock every time I go to the store, and I’m sure you feel the same way. Knowing that prices are going to be even higher next year is hard to stomach. However, we do have a choice here. We can prepare for rising food prices, starting right now.
1. Stock Up
Right now is an excellent time to stock up on the brands you use the most.
For example, our boys really love Cheerios, the plain ones in the yellow box. So, I’m stocking up, purchasing Cheerios from Costco and Walmart every time I place an order. They’re going to cost roughly $.80 more per box in another month, so for us this it’s smart to stock up at the lower price right now. I’m also stocking up Honey Maid Graham Crackers, another product the boys love that will cost more next month.
Which brands does your family use the most that might see a price increase next month? Can you stock up on these brands right now to avoid rising food prices next month? Make sure you shop around so that when you do purchase, you’re getting the best price.
2. Cook From Scratch
When you stop and think about it, many of the foods that are going up in price next month are convenience and snack foods. Some examples from the companies listed above include:
- Pillsbury biscuits
- Oreos
- Lunchables
- Heinz Ketchup
- Stove Top Stuffing
- Jet Puff Marshmallows
- Honey-Maid Graham Crackers
- Hamburger Helper Meals
- Ritz Crackers
- Fruit Roll-Ups
- Tyson Chicken Products
- Annie’s Organics Pasta and Meals
- Betty Crocker Cake Mixes
- Green Giant Canned Vegetables
- Progresso Soup
- Chips Ahoy Cookies
- Claussen Pickles
- Yoplait Yogurt
- Boca Burgers
- Muir Glen Canned Vegetables
- Totino’s Frozen Pizza Meals
- LARABAR Energy Bars
This is only a very small list. But you can see that making some of these products yourself would help insulate your family from rising food prices, and allow you to eat a healthier diet. Here are some ideas:
- Make homemade biscuit dough, cut out the biscuits, and then freeze them to bake during the week. Do this instead of buying Pillsbury pre-made biscuits. You could also do with with cinnamon rolls, pie dough, or anything else that Pillsbury makes.
- allow for expansion.
- Instead of buying LARABAR, make your own homemade energy bars (which have much less sugar!) and package them up for the week.
- Learn how to make quick refrigerator pickles instead of buying them.
- Make homemade ketchup (which is much easier than you think, and far more delicious!)
- Instead of buying Lunchables for your kids, assemble your own Lunchable-style meal with cheese, crackers, meats, and a treat for a fraction of the cost.
- Instead of buying Chips Ahoy cookies, make homemade chocolate chip cookies, freeze them in small bags, and take them out as you need them (most cookies freeze very well.)
- If you buy canned soups like Progresso, make homemade vegetable soup (or any kind of soup!) instead and freeze in Mason jars to eat during the week. I made this vegetable soup recipe just last night and it’s so good! If you freeze the soup, make sure you leave one inch of headspace at the top of the jar to allow for expansion.
- Using a food dehydrator or your oven, make your own fruit leather instead of buying Fruit Roll-Ups.
- Do you have an Instant Pot? If so, try making homemade yogurt instead of buying Yoplait.
- Instead of buying Boca Burgers, experiment with different vegan burger recipes. When you find one you love, make them in bulk and freeze them. I use Pioneer Woman’s Black Bean Burger recipe. It’s super simple and delicious, and freezes really well.
Take a look at your eating and buying habits, and track down which brands you use the most. Which products will see a price increase in the coming months? Could you learn how to make any of these foods yourself?
3. Switch Brands
Of course, many products are about to go up in price that are NOT so easy to make at home. For example, Gold Medal Flour is owned by General Mills, and will go up in price next month. Huggies diapers, and Scott and Cottonelle toilet paper, are owned by Kimberly Clark and will go up in price.
Many consumers will switch brands rather than pay a higher price…but this can be hard when so many companies are raising prices at the same time. You’ll likely have to do some sleuthing at the store to see which brands are the better deal, and then start buying those products instead.
4. Buy Whole Foods
Every time you purchase foods that were processed in any way by a human or machine, it’s going to cost more.
For example, washed salad greens in a bag are more expensive than buying loose salad greens and washing them at home. Packaged sliced apples are more expensive than whole apples. Pre-cut butternut squash is more expensive than a whole squash.
Whenever possible, buy whole foods and process them yourself at home rather than paying for the convenience of having someone else do it for you.
5. Watch Out for Shrinkflation
In order to charge customers more money without actually raising food prices, many brands are shrinking product sizes and charging the same amount they used to. This devious practice has been dubbed “shrinkflation,” and you can see it everywhere in the grocery store.
For example, a few weeks ago I picked up a jar of Maranatha Almond Butter, a product we buy often because it’s a key ingredient in our favorite Indian Daal recipe. I got home and compared it to the jar we were just finishing up, only to find that the new jar was 25% smaller than the old one. Yet, it was the same price.
6. Learn How to Can
Learning how the art of home canning is one of the best ways to combat rising food prices. It’s also a cost-effective way to build a long-term food pantry.
For example, our local Piggly Wiggle occasionally has amazing sale prices on chicken. When they do, I stock up and put some in the freezer and pressure can the rest. This allows me to keep the chicken in the pantry rather than filling up my freezer. And, it helps ensure I’m always paying the lowest price.
7. Go Meatless
Meat, especially red meat, is increasingly becoming a luxury item. CBS reports that meat prices have soared since the start of the pandemic, and the USDA’s November Food Price Outlook found that beef is expected to be 8.5% higher in 2021 (averaging each month’s increase over 12 months.) However, CBS puts this figure at closer to 20% for 2021.
Chicken isn’t much better. Tyson Foods states that chicken prices rose 19% in the fourth quarter of this year alone, while beef and pork rose 33% and 35%.
Every company and agency seems to have a different statistic on price increases. What’s consistent is that they’re all high, and likely to go higher. So, eating less meat is an easy way to keep your food budget manageable.
Start experimenting with different vegetarian and vegan recipes to find some meals that your family enjoys.
8. Start a Garden
There’s never been a more important time to start growing your own food. And no matter where you live, chances are you can find somewhere to start a small garden.
For example, if you don’t have a yard then find a community garden in your area through the American Community Garden Association. If you do have a yard but have no idea how to start a garden, call your local Extension office to find out when they offer gardening classes in the community. Visit your local library and find some books on starting a garden. Or, start browsing Reddit’s r/gardening forum and talk to other gardeners about how to get started.
Find a way to make this happen. Growing your own food is healthy, rewarding, empowering, and extremely cost-effective.
Final Word
No matter where you live, you have to deal with rising food prices on some level. And by the looks of it, prices aren’t going down anytime soon. However, we can choose to do something about it, and take steps to insulate ourselves from higher prices whenever we can.
Many of the strategies above require more time and work on our parts. But there is a deep satisfaction in making something yourself that you previously bought from someone else. It feels good to make a steaming pot of homemade soup, bake your own bread, or make homemade cookies instead of opening up a package.
I’d love to hear back from you. What are you doing to combat rising food prices?