High food prices affect students

If you have been grocery shopping recently in Walmart or some other retailer, you may have noticed a significant difference in food choices.

If you are looking just right, you might come to see the huge selection of generic brands on the shelves, alongside the regular name brand products.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise. As food prices have continued to increase, retail stores like Walmart have continued to offer more of their generic brand of products.

According to a Forbes.com article, the Consumer Price Index for food rose 4.8% on average during 2011. Higher-priced products, such as beef, rose 11.5% in December alone.

This increase has ultimately left consumers with little choice but to buy the generic brands. As a result, major retail stores like Walmart have done well financially while major name brand producers have hit significant losses.

This dramatic increase of food prices over the last couple years has caused major problems in the U.S. and around the world.

Many have been forced to apply for food stamps or other public assistance programs to ease their financial strain.

Here at ASU, however, many of us have felt insulated from the inflating food prices, thanks in part to big food service companies like Sodexho.

Their streamlined process of buying, preparing and distributing food has prevented us from having to pay extra for our meal plans.

While it is easy to complain over the food quality in the cafeteria, there is no question that we are getting more bang for our buck.

Unfortunately however, many students without meal plans have been hit hard with these food price increases.

Many have complained over the price increase of essential grocery items, like bread, even among the generic brands.

This only adds to the problem of already high school and transportation costs.

Hopefully this doesn't last for too long. According to some experts, food prices may begin to stabilize in 2012 and drop to a more reasonable price level.

While this is certainly good news, it may be a while before we see these changes around us.

Davidson is a sophomore education major of Bryant.