Food banks worry about rising peanut butter prices

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By KANTELE FRANKO

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Food banks and pantries around the country say high peanut butter prices have made it harder for them to provide one of their most-requested items - and a favorite among children - this holiday season.

Peanut butter prices have gone up 30 percent or more because hot weather in states like Texas and Georgia hurt this year's peanut crop and because some farmers switched to more profitable crops, such as corn and cotton.

The increase in peanut butter prices and the cost of food overall has been a blow to family budgets, and hunger-relief groups that say they're serving more clients even as the poor economy has made it harder to get donations.

Terry Shannon, president of the Phoenix-based St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, one of the country's largest food banks, said it increased the amount of food it distributes annually by about 75 percent over the past three years, to 74 million pounds. Its cash donations have kept pace with the need so far, but Shannon said he worries the alliance won't raise enough money during the holiday season to keep including peanut butter in each of the 25,000 emergency food boxes it distributes each month.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20111128/D9R9K0K00.html

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In this Nov. 9, 2011, photo manager Kathy Kelly-Long holds a jar of peanut butter which is in short supply at the Broad Street Presbyterian Church food pantry in Columbus, Ohio. Food banks around the country say rising peanut butter prices are making it harder for them to provide one of their most-requested items this holiday season. (AP Photo/Kantele Franko)

[aquart]

1. ARGHHH!!!

Peanut butter and Greek yoghurt is my happy food.

[Hotler]

2. Peanut butter is out of control.

Along with everything else.

[tomm2thumbs]

3. just got a big jar for 2.99 -- maybe I'm 'nuts' but it seemed reasonable

maybe the prices haven't hit the store brands yet

[Bluenorthwest]

6. I just paid nearly double what I paid last month

I was shocked at the price, and none was on sale. Same for the self grind. Up, up, up.

[xchrom]

4. Recommend

[JJW]

5. Much of it isn't even Peanut Butter

most have additives like soy oil, hydrogenated oils, sugar, saw dust. And of course they continually reducing the jar size. Probably all of food increases are due to criminal speculators, banksters, and Wall Street fraudsters.

[Evasporque]

7. Jif is not peanut butter...

It is mostly fat...with some peanut flavoring.

[Sivafae]

8. It wasn't just the hot weather in GA, it was also the new illegal immigrant law. nt

[tpsbmam]

9. Here we go....climate change hits the poor first....

Yeah, you can say one season isn't climate change but there's a pretty good pattern setting itself up in states like TX, which has unbelievable droughts right now. Poor folks will feel the brunt of it first, and they'll feel it hard as all kinds of variables continue to force food prices higher and higher.

[Vincardog]

10. Will TX elect Democrats any time soon?