Topic: Food Prices

Wendy's announced plans to test "dynamic pricing" in 2025, using digital menu boards to adjust prices based on demand. The move has sparked consumer outrage, with critics comparing it to Uber's surge pricing and expressing concern over the rising cost of fast food staples like the Big Mac.

Senator Bernie Sanders and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee address the rising costs of diabetes treatment and insulin. Dr. Keisha Lipska testifies that the food industry profits from making people sick while the drug industry profits from treating them. Sanders suggests banning junk food advertisements targeted at children as a preventative measure.

A farming group is calling for a federal investigation into soaring egg prices, alleging potential price gouging by major producers like Call-Main Foods. While producers cite a bird flu outbreak that killed 58 million birds, the hosts discuss a narrative linking egg consumption to blood clots, which they view as a distraction from vaccine side effects.

The episode concludes with a musical mix featuring news clips about the Young Thug RICO indictment, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and Joe Biden's Paxlovid rebound. The mix also touches on rising food prices, fertilizer shortages, and global inflation.

A TikTok farmer's warning about skyrocketing feed and fertilizer costs is highlighted, predicting significant food price increases by late 2022. In response to the crisis, an Austin-based company is promoting protein bars made from crickets, which the hosts view as part of a push toward alternative, less desirable food sources.

Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister accused Russia of stealing 1.5 million tons of grain from occupied territories. The conflict has disrupted planting and blocked exports from the port of Odessa, leading to fears of a global food crisis. The hosts transition into a discussion on "shrinkflation," using the declining quality and size of Charmin toilet paper as a domestic example of economic pressure.

A highly pathogenic bird flu has been detected in 32 U.S. states, leading to the culling of millions of chickens and turkeys. The USDA is using "foam" to suffocate entire barns of birds to prevent the spread. The hosts warn that this will lead to skyrocketing poultry prices and fits the broader "Great Reset" narrative of food scarcity.

The UK is facing a severe shortage of CO2, a key product for the food and beverage industry, after CF Industries ceased production due to high natural gas prices. The hosts find it ironic that there is a shortage of the gas the government is trying to eliminate from the atmosphere. They mock the logic of "carbon neutral" beverages that pull CO2 from the air only to release it again.

CBS News reports on the closure of major meatpacking plants, including Tyson Foods in Iowa, due to COVID-19 outbreaks. Speculation arises that these closures might be a price-gouging tactic by meatpackers to exploit the gap between rancher prices and retail costs.

The correlation between falling crude oil prices and lower global food distribution costs is examined following a UN Food and Agriculture Organization report. While oil has dropped to $49 a barrel, the impact on retail supermarket prices remains debated. The discussion touches on the logistics of local food production versus imported goods.

A new strain of bird flu, H7N9, has emerged in Shanghai, China, resulting in several deaths. The hosts play a clip of investor Jim Rogers warning about a global agricultural disaster due to low inventories and an aging farmer population. Rogers predicts that food prices will skyrocket this decade as production fails to meet consumption.

Governors from several U.S. states and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization have called on the EPA to waive the 10% ethanol mandate for gasoline due to record droughts. Corn prices have risen to $8 per bushel, leading to concerns about global food shortages and starvation in poor nations. Critics argue the mandate benefits the corn lobby while negatively impacting the environment and food security.

A debate ensues over the standard layout of supermarkets, with one host claiming produce is always on the left to discourage healthy shopping. The discussion shifts to the "war on food," specifically the rising price of corn and the prevalence of genetically modified ingredients in packaged goods. Listeners are encouraged to learn to cook and shop at farmers' markets.

The hosts mock Rick Perry's unique pronunciation of "Israel" in a campaign clip. They transition to news of massive protests in Tel Aviv over rising food costs, noting that protesters have brought out a guillotine to signal their anger toward the government and speculators driving up wheat prices.

Famed investor Jim Rogers warns on CNBC about a looming crisis in soft commodities due to a global shortage of farmers. He notes that the average age of a farmer in the U.S. is 58 and that parts of Japan have no farmers left. Rogers argues that food price increases are driven by both supply shortages and the "debasement" of currency through quantitative easing (QE2).

At the Cancun Climate Change Summit, scientists from the Royal Society called for World War II-style rationing of electricity and goods in developed nations. Proposals include halting economic growth in the West to allow developing nations to expand. Experts also warned that "threat multipliers" related to climate change could double global food prices by the year 2050.

Observations from the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco reveal that gourmet salt is no longer a dominant trend, replaced by an explosion of artisanal chocolate and flavored teas. Cocoa prices have hit a 24-year high, while the bottled water industry is pivoting toward "hint" flavors and products marketed specifically to children.

Severe weather and flooding in the English Midlands and Northern regions have devastated the local wheat crop. Estimates suggest a third of the normal harvest has been wiped out, causing wheat prices to triple and forcing imports from Germany. This agricultural crisis is expected to drive up global food prices significantly.

A leaked World Bank report suggests that 75% of the recent global surge in food prices is attributable to the production of biofuels. The shift from food crops to fuel-grade grain, incentivized by government subsidies, has created a shortage of edible cereals. The hosts criticize "green" energy policies for prioritizing car fuel over human nutrition.

The globalization of the food industry has led to the Netherlands importing a significant portion of its meat from Argentina, despite having its own agricultural history. Rising costs and shipping expenses have forced some Dutch restaurants to remove high-end beef cuts from their menus. This trend highlights the complexities and potential inefficiencies of international food supply chains in an era of fluctuating prices.