This year, consumers witnessed a lot of
cost increases in food, so it's only natural that the price of Thanksgiving dinner has crept up, too. Agriculture experts estimate that
Thanksgiving costs have
risen by an average of six percent this year, and the
American Farm Bureau, which conducts a Thanksgiving yearly survey, cited
$44.61 as the average cost of a Thanksgiving for 10 in 2007.
I'm not surprised; in fact, I'm certain that I spend at least twice as much on my Thanksgiving dinner.
Number two fast food chain
Burger King has been testing
a new line of premium items. This includes ribs and thicker burgers, made with grills, batch broilers, and other costly new kitchen equipment.
The fast food chain's decision to move in the direction of higher-price items comes at a time when the
casual restaurant industry is struggling.
Americans may love kicking back with beer, but times are tough. That's why an increasing number of beer drinkers are
swapping their microbrews for what are called "subpremium" beers in the beverage industry.
Anheuser-Busch has reported that its brands Busch and Natural Light have seen upticks in sales.
Top fast food chain
McDonald's announced its third-quarter earnings today, and made reassurances that it would continue its efforts to be "recession-resistant."
The corporation made sure to squash swirling rumors that its
dollar menu may become a thing of the past. There will, in fact,
still be a dollar menu.
Although
prices of almost everything have soared, good deals do exist. The
New York Times scoured the boroughs to see what kind of fare could be had for $1, and earlier this year,
New York magazine proclaimed that "beggars can be choosers" when it comes to 99-cent finds. Even in my expensive backyard, the Bay Area,
there are deals to come by.
With
cheese prices slipping while raw materials
prices multiply, producers of Italy's parmigiano reggiano are turning to the government to remedy a dire situation. The wholesale
price of parmiggiano reggiano has fallen below the cost of producing it. Cheese prices have dropped as the result of two factors.
Natural and organic supermarket
Whole Foods really wants to be there for you during tough times. In fact, the retailer wants to give you a deal so badly that it's posted a printable online
coupon for $5 off.
The discount is part of a new Whole Foods value guide called the Whole Deal.
Hit by the worsening economy and the
rising costs of raw materials, candy giant
Hershey's has not only
raised candy prices, but has also begun replacing cocoa butter, the ingredient that allegedly gives Hershey's candies their delicious flavor, with vegetable oil.
The formulas of candy products such as Whatchamacallit, Milk Duds, Mr. Goodbar, and Krackel, among
other candies, have been changed.
In a world of oversize food — genetically modified apples, super-size fries, and venti coffees — one thing may be coming up smaller: grocery stores.
According to the
New York Times, grocers across the country from
Safeway to
Wal-Mart are turning to stores with smaller square footage. Supermarket retailers, like Jewel-Osco, who is building a smaller-format store in Chicago, are hoping to capitalize on an untapped segment of time-starved shoppers who are looking for an affordable meal to go without menu prices, or who just want to pick up a handful of grocery items.
A while back, we talked about the rise of
pickling and canning at home. But what happens once you've filled your pantry with homemade pickled watermelon rinds and apricot jam? Our friends across the pond have come up with a
smart solution: organizing food exchanges.
