The age of affordable food is coming to an end - Are you prepared?

Monday, June 17, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: food prices, agriculture, radical weather

(NaturalNews) America's industrialized food system, the very existence of which is almost fully dependent on an endless availability of cheap oil, copious amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, untested genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), and various intense processing methods, is in its final death throes. And the ultimate consequence of this slow debacle is pointing to an end to the age of cheap food, which begs the question, are you prepared?

Historic drought conditions throughout much of the U.S. this past summer have left many staple crops like corn and soy largely decimated, which is affecting practically all aspects of the food system. A substantial portion of the corn crop, for instance, is used to produce ethanol in accordance with U.S. "green" energy policies, which means fuel costs are rising in response to corn shortages. Rising fuel costs are thus driving up the cost of food that must be transported long distances via big rigs to grocery stores nationwide.

Corn and soy shortages are also causing direct cost increases for all kinds of processed foods manufactured using corn and soy derivatives. Most of the products in the middle aisles at the grocery store, for instance, which include things like cookies, crackers, and cereals, are made using corn, soy, or both, which means Americans can expect to pay more for these items in the near future as manufacturers struggle to maintain stable supply costs.

Conventional cattle are heavily reliant on corn and soy as well, thanks to changes in animal husbandry practices over the past half century that basically forced cattle off the grazing fields and into feedlots, where they are now fed rations almost exclusively comprised of both corn and soy. As we covered recently, many conventional farmers can no longer feed their cattle because of high feed costs, which means they are having to slaughter them early.

Industrialized food is the problem, not the solution

The U.K.'s Guardian predicts food riots as a result of the growing spike in food costs, but at the same time blames the whole mess on an increasing worldwide population and people eating too much meat. Adding insult to injury, this mainstream rag also proposes more industrialization as the solution to the food shortage problem, even though industrialization has been one of the primary causes of this escalating turmoil.

Rather than continue to press on within the current system, which is destroying crop biodiversity, the environment, and ultimately human health, the so-called "social engineers" pushing for more GMOs and more agricultural industrialization might want to take a look at an alternative approach like the one widely embraced throughout Russia. The millions of small-scale, organic, bio-diverse family farms that sustain the formerly-communist country are largely unaffected by the current food failures of the rest of the world -- perhaps we could learn a thing or two from them about real food security? (http://www.naturalnews.com)

For more information about preparedness and food security, be sure to check out the Health Ranger Live preparedness course: http://www.naturalnews.com

Also, check out the non-GMO preparedness items available at the new Natural News Store:
http://store.naturalnews.com/

Sources for this article include:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/sep/02/era-of-cheap-food-over

https://www.naturalnews.com/033925_organic_farming_crop_yields.html