To be horrified at the price of food

[Thorts]

Single pepper, now 60p - everywhere.
Apple juice - 99p everywhere for the cheap stuff

How are people supposed to eat fresh fruit and veg daily (and the right amount) with these prices?

If you were to look at processed food however; pack of ham 20p, custard creams 20p, garlic bread 35p.

You could get two of all the processed items mentioned for less price than one pepper and one carton of 1L value Apple juice.

Surely something needs to be done?

I also wonder how many people who are complaining about increased food prices voted for brexit. If you did, you chose this.

I've never seen a packet of ham for 20p anywhere. Would this be stuff on its sell by date perhaps?

They were spending less on housing because it was more likely that only one adult was working, they spent less on transport because there were fewer cars, less on energy because fewer people had CH. Just because they spend more on those things now does not mean that food should automatically be cheaper??
Minimum wage has increased and that increase has to be paid for - by the customer.
If you can afford good quality fresh food OP, why are you complaining? What would you prefer to spend your money?
It’s always hilarious how those who have never produced any food in their lives expect those who do to work for minimum wage.

I've never seen a packet of ham for 20p anywhere. Would this be stuff on its sell by date perhaps?

The OP revealed that it was indeed in the reduced section.

I agree, What an absolutely travesty that the same nmw people who pick our fruit and veg often can't actually afford to buy the produce they pick.. So off to Iceland they go. It's outrageous. But I really can't feel sorry for the fat cats sat at the top of the chain whose profits may be down but are doing alright thank you.

Ham isn't automatically awful, though

It is a general issue, my food shop this week was £50. It's insane, that's for one person alone.

That 1980s family were spending less in housing , transport, energy.

They were also most likely buying more locally, more seasonally and more frequently so had tighter control over what they were spending. Less likely to see avocado on toast for breakfast, or looking for miso that they’d use in one recipe.

It’s disgusting. I took my children swimming today and the 3 other little girls in the swimming class were all overweight 😢Hardly surprising given the price of healthy food.

Simple.

work more and earn more money.

Why though, what is your reasoning for peppers needing to be less than 60p?

Why "insane"?

What exactly did you buy, how many meals will that £50 cover?

For instance, you may have bought pomegranates at £2.25 each. Or £50 of meat and veg that would feed you for a month.

Context is required.

My weekly shopping is about 70 just for me😶 double if DH is more at home. But I do buy pomegranates when available for reasonable price and pomelos, kefirs etc.

You’ve nailed it. Wish I could pin this comment!! Thank you for wording it way better than I ever could have x

Surely something needs to be done?

Something like what? Price-fixing? Taking all food shops into public ownership? The problem is that we have all got far too used to having things like peppers in March when they are not in season in the UK until July/August. Or strawberries in February. Of course things are going to be expensive when you have to ship them across Europe or from the rest of the world. In season vegetables and fruit are not nearly as expensive.

You haven't yet explained why a pepper should cost less than 60p!

An Iceland meal deal for £1 feeds how many?

I just buy things when they’re on offer and the veg is mostly frozen, as is the fruit for my compote.

Its adapt or die and it always has been.

Not even one person probably. Too many calories but so devoid of nutrition that you'd still be hungry.

According yo dome friends who live in France now, who used to live in England, food is even more expensive there.

I definitely think we’ve reached a point now that we’re so used to cheap and convenient luxury that we feel hard done by when we can’t have something.

In the 1950s there were less snacks. People just ate their 3 meals a day, children included, there wasn’t an endless supply of biscuits/bread sticks/fruit/crisps. Meals were plainer, meat and two veg type things and portions were smaller.

People can scoff and say ‘ooooh that’s not much of a life, they were malnourished’ or whatever but the people who were adults in the 1950s have the longest lifespan yet whereas ours will be shorter. They’re far less likely to be obese which probably accounts for a lot of that. And I’m certain their food production has done less harm to the environment than ours, by eating seasonally and buying less food.

Peppers have always been expensive. Is 60p a lot for a pepper? I feel like they've always cost at least that much.

Our local Asda does a bag of carrots for 15p. I often get reduced fruit and veg too. Big bags of frozen veg go really far too. It is possible, but agree you get more bag for your buck if you eat the processed stuff.

60p for a pepper which is grown in a greenhouse in southern Spain, then picked, loaded into a refrigerated truck & driven across Europe, then onto a ferry across the channel, then trucked to a supermarket distribution depot then to my local store where I can buy it crisp & fresh is both a bargain and a miracle of 21st century logistics.

In the late eighties/ early nineties bus fares were dearer. Especially in relation to wages. No £2 fare cap.
Also re Iceland you can buy fresh veg / meat and frozen vegetables/ meat. Tesco/ Sainsburys even Ocado sell frozen chips and nuggets.
It’s the treats that are expensive. Dal and rice/ lentil soup is still cheap.

You're absolutely right. It's a national security issue. We don't manufacture and we don't grow food.
Big good is gradually making sure most real food don't have seeds.
In two decades it will be too late.
We're being distracted by global warming, ulez, over population etc. The urgency of real food being too expensive is conveniently never spoken about. Instead it's plastered with political gimmicks such as free school meals for every single child.
Nothing about seeds, farming diverse and real food etc.

You have been making this point all day now. It must have really bothered you.