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  • A measure of wheat for a penny: food price inflation in historical perspective − speech by Andrew Bailey

    From bankofengland.co.uk Story is in PDF Format

    Many thanks for the introduction, Terry. It is a pleasure to be here this evening. Let me also add my thanks to you, Minette. You have been a strong and clear voice for British farming throughout your term as President of the National Farmers’ Union. What a time it has been. Costs have been rising sharply. Trading arrangements and farm support have been changing. Summer droughts have been followed by winter floods. It is no small job to confront all of those challenges. I would like to spend my time this evening talking about food price inflation. To set the scene, I will start by showing a chart with the evolution ... (full story)

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Well, according to the chart which shows the relative price of wheat the price a loaf today hasn't changed much for 500 years.
Thats the relative price. The actual price is another story. Wheat rose from 43 shillings a quarter in 1792, the year before the war broke out, to 126 shillings in 1812, the year Napoleon went to Russia. The poor both in town and country suffered terribly from the price of bread......
Then came the Corn Law of 1815. Check it out if you're interested. That's another thing which changes little, division .
  •  Guest
  • | IP XX.XXX.125.78
The prices have increased because of manufacturing and distribution, not the farmers :

According to the Kansas Farm Food website, farmers receive 11 cents for a loaf of bread that retails at $1.90 1. However, it is important to note that this is just an average and the actual amount can vary depending on the region, the type of bread, and other factors .
Quoting Guest
The prices have increased because of manufacturing and distribution, not the farmers : According to the Kansas Farm Food website, farmers receive 11 cents for a loaf of bread that retails at $1.90 1. However, it is important to note that this is just an average and the actual amount can vary depending on the region, the type of bread, and other factors .
Any law against shoppers going directly to the farm then and buy the foodstuff?
Farmers should get higher price then and consumers lower. Win-win.
Born to lose live to win
  •  Guest
  • | IP XX.XXX.125.78
Quoting Ferna
{quote} Any law against shoppers going directly to the farm then and buy the foodstuff? Farmers should get higher price then and consumers lower. Win-win.
It would be a win-win, but, how many people know how to make food from the raw product ?( ie: bread from wheat ) Most people think food comes from stores.
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  •  Guest
  • | IP XX.XXX.94.18
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