will nuclear crisis raise food prices?

[frugalmum]

Obviously the main concern is the lives of the japanese and those near japan, which I hope can be protected.  But if there is a significant outpouring of radioactive material into the atmosphere, it is predicted to reach California within a few days' time and Mexico as well, both areas with extensive farmland.  Will we see food prices go up even more than they already have?

After Chernobyl many farms in europe could not sell their produce while it underwent safety testing and there were shortages of produce and cheese for a period.  Is anyone taking precautions?  I have never been a stockpiler but am considering buying up more frozen veggies and bottled juice than usual.

[Chicky2]

I hadn't thought about it, but we are about to fill our freezers w/meat (trapped feral hogs), and I think I'll pick up extra veggies.

[Denvergirlie]

Radiation wouldn't really affect our actual crops growing in north american. Radation from Chernobyl  hit the CA coast about 10 days after explosion and although you could measure it, it wasn't powerful enough to cause any issues. 

Japan is 5,500 of miles away, regarless of radiation output in Japan, it's not going to affect north america's growing crops. (For compairson, distance to Chernobyl from LA is 6,300 miles.)

I've been reading up on Chernobyl, as many others have these past few days, and the radation danger is a local issue. Sure farms within 500 miles are going to be more suspect, but there is nothing in the Pacific ocean in that range, other than the actual island of Japan and winds will blow radation out to sea, and not blow towards Russia/ China, etc.

The biggest issue those of us in the states will have to deal with is inflation in prices. Food inflation is already rampant, huge increase have already been seen, and it's climbing higher everyday. Expect great inflation in speciality foods like sushi prices/ fresh fish prices, etc. Just in the last month, food inflation is almost 4%... the biggest increase in prices since 1974

Here is a current article just today about food inflation http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/mar/17/food-inflation/ 

Japan already imports more than 50% of their food, but have feeling that percentage will rise as a result of this disaster. So cost of food might go up even higher, just because of increase in demand, but food infaltion is already an issue here, just expect it to get worse.

So go ahead, stock up on some things now, but do so from a cost perspective and not from a fear of unafe food perspective. 

[Usually Curious]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie 

Radiation wouldn't really affect our actual crops growing in north american. Radation from Chernobyl  hit the CA coast about 10 days after explosion and although you could measure it, it wasn't powerful enough to cause any issues. 

Japan is 5,500 of miles away, regarless of radiation output in Japan, it's not going to affect north america's growing crops. (For compairson, distance to Chernobyl from LA is 6,300 miles.)

I've been reading up on Chernobyl, as many others have these past few days, and the radation danger is a local issue. Sure farms within 500 miles are going to be more suspect, but there is nothing in the Pacific ocean in that range, other than the actual island of Japan and winds will blow radation out to sea, and not blow towards Russia/ China, etc.

The biggest issue those of us in the states will have to deal with is inflation in prices. Food inflation is already rampant, huge increase have already been seen, and it's climbing higher everyday. Expect great inflation in speciality foods like sushi prices/ fresh fish prices, etc. Just in the last month, food inflation is almost 4%... the biggest increase in prices since 1974

Here is a current article just today about food inflation http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/mar/17/food-inflation/ 

Japan already imports more than 50% of their food, but have feeling that percentage will rise as a result of this disaster. So cost of food might go up even higher, just because of increase in demand, but food infaltion is already an issue here, just expect it to get worse.

So go ahead, stock up on some things now, but do so from a cost perspective and not from a fear of unafe food perspective. 

Excellent post! I agree 100%

[A&A]

I agree with PP.  Inflation will continue to be an issue.

[A&A]

and somewhat on the same topic:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/business/20risk.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

[mamaliberty]

Hi-

You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject of both Chernobyl and Japan-have you heard anything about how pregnant women shouldn't eat milk and cheese due to higher radiation in the grass since the Japan disaster? I had not but several of my mother's friends want me to stop eating milk products (I'm not for the record but curious all the same).

thanks!

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by mamaliberty 

Hi-

You seem quite knowledgeable on the subject of both Chernobyl and Japan-have you heard anything about how pregnant women shouldn't eat milk and cheese due to higher radiation in the grass since the Japan disaster? I had not but several of my mother's friends want me to stop eating milk products (I'm not for the record but curious all the same).

thanks!

Well, the French have advised their pregnant women not to drink milk and their exposure to the fall out is far less than that in the US.  I certainly would not be drinking milk from the West Coast right now, pregnant or otherwise.  East Coast, I might drink it it unless I were pregnant or intending to become pregnant.  One of the problems is the delay in testing and reporting.  There have been very few updates.  I don't know of East Coast results for milk testing but I know we won't hear about them until it is well after the fact.  It takes 10 days for the tests to be posted.  That's a lot of exposure if the tests turn out to be high.  Another problem is the FDA has a crazy high limit for contamination, far higher than the EPA has for water.  If you drink milk daily, you ought to go with the EPA's limits based on long term exposure rather than the FDA's limit based on short term exposure.  But that milk isn't going to be pulled from the shelves since it doesn't exceed the FDA's limits.  They are predicting another 6-9 months of fallout so this is all going to build up in women's breastmilk as well as be going to in utero babies.  Who can say what exposure our children are going to have to radiation in their future?  It makes sense to minimize their exposure when we can.