Rising Food Costs

The items you buy every week are on the rise: milk and eggs.   This Easter you'll pay 33-cents more for eggs.  And dairy experts expect about the same increase in milk prices by this Fall.  It may seem like a small increase, but shoppers say when they buy dozens of eggs and gallons of milk each week, it will start to catch up with them.

   Every week, Beau Tyler, a Parkland student,  picks up four gallons of milk.  He says if the prices continue to rise, he may be in trouble.  "Of course I'm not gonna appreciate it.  I don't make enough money as it goes, you know.  Being a college student it's hard enough for me to afford milk, and it's just another thing for me to add up," says Tyler.

And he's not alone.  Americans stack their carts with milk, and even buy about 74-million cartons of eggs in just one week.   Stores say they keep the shelves stocked, but they're having trouble keeping up with the rising prices.

Brent Pichon, Dairy Manager at Jerry's IGA, says "of course everybody likes low prices, but you've gotta be competitive and make money for yourself, and save for the customer."  He says it's a challenge.  A challenge that's likely due to ethanol.  With corn prices on the rise, farmers are paying more for feed.  Experts say when the corn prices go up, expect to shell out more for your eggs and milk.

Even with the rising costs, Chuck Hartke, Illinois Director of Agriculture says, here in the United States, we've got it good.  "Compared to other countries we're very fortunate to have this type of quality, quantity and abundance of safe food.  So the price the consumer is paying is very little compared to other parts of the world," says Hartke. 

But for those on a budget, that "very little" price, starts to add up.

Milk and eggs aren't the only items you should expect to pay more for.  Bacon, pork chops and ground chuck are also up anywhere from ten to 25-cents from last year.