Like many of you, I’m feeling the squeeze of inflation every time I go grocery shopping…
The food industry will tell you that they’re the “victims” and that increasing fuel costs, supply-chain disruptions, the economy, and even “the pandemic” are the cause for skyrocketing prices.
And sure, I get it… there are absolutely legitimate reasons manufacturers are seeing increased expenses for manufacturers and all of the reasons stated “can” have an effect on how much you’re paying at the checkout counter.
But is there more at play here?
Could these “poor me” excuses really be hiding a more sinister plot to Hoover your hard-earned money straight out of your pockets in the name of more profits?
Well, we did some digging and discovered…
4 Food Industry Scams That Are Secretly Ripping You Off Every Time You Buy Groceries
And A Better Way To Save Money And Feed Your Family Healthier, More Delicious Food Every Night Of The Week…
The first step in not getting scammed is knowing HOW you’re getting scammed, right?
Once you pull back the curtain on The Great Oz and see how these food conglomerates – and even local farm stands – are screwing us over, that trip to the grocery store takes on a whole other perspective.
Below are 4 food industry scams – and a better way to save your hard-earned money while putting more delicious and healthier food on your family’s table…
Food Scam #1: “Shrinkflation”
One of the fastest and easiest ways to squeeze more out of consumers is to simply put less product inside the same package you’re used to buying already, or…
…reducing the package size “slightly” (so you don’t notice) but still charge the same price.
For example…
On a recent trip to the grocery, I saw what used to be a 16-ounce can of beans… that now only contains 13.5 ounces selling for the same price (a 16% price increase)!
Or how about the 32 oz Gatorade that shrunk down to a 28 oz bottle without changing the price tag (a 14% increase)!
And for you “families” out there… while the US Census Bureau data shows that the average size of U.S. families are steadily increasing… Nabisco actually decreased its “Family Size” amounts from 16 oz to just 14 oz at the same price (a 14% increase)… and if you wanted the “Fat Free” version, you’re only going to get 12.5 oz inside – all for the same price you were paying before!
Read the labels… do the math.
Food Scam #2: “Predatory Collusion”
Unless you’re Elon Musk, you’ve probably noticed the price of eggs has increased dramatically in recent years, right?
Some of this is just “supply and demand” – like when the wholesale price of Midwest-produced large eggs TRIPLED in just 1 month in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
And then there’s the 2022 “dead bird” issue… as a massive outbreak of bird flu forced the killing of 40 million laying hens.
Makes sense.
Less chickens = less eggs.
But even the egg farmers themselves are saying that there’s been collusion among the large distributors who have been taking advantage of consumers who just “got used to” the higher pandemic prices and accepted higher egg costs as the “new normal”.
The prices seem to back this up as in 2022 alone, egg prices jumped a whopping 60%!
Food Scam #3: The “Farm-To-Market Switcheroo”
Think you’re avoiding big money scheming by shopping at farmers markets?
Think again.
The sandal-wearing “Earthy” individuals under those pop-up tents have found their own sneaky ways to gouge customers.
A CBC News Hidden Camera Investigation discovered many so-called “growers” actually purchased discounted produce at grocery stores and sold them at market as their own produce… often applying the “organic” label.
In fact, many times the vendors didn’t even bother to remove the supermarket label from the produce itself… and STILL told the undercover journalists that they grew it!
Problem is, there’s really no way to tell where the produce actually came from or if it really is “organic”.
Food Scam #4: “Plumping”
Ok, this one really pisses me off…
Producers have become very sneaky at making less look like more with the help of a little “doctoring”…
It’s called “plumping.”
The best example is the common practice of injecting fresh chicken with a saltwater solution to make it “plump up” and look like you’re getting more meat for your money.
When confronted with this practice, the producers claim it makes the chicken juicier and more flavorful…
But this “saltwater infusion” can add as much as 30% more weight to the bird you’re buying!
That means that if you purchase a package of injected chicken for $6 per pound, you’re likely paying at least $1 to $1.80 per pound more… for nothing but salt water!
And if you’re trying to cut back on your salt intake?
Well, these injections are adding at least 1000 milligrams of added sodium to the bird – and one chicken breast could eat up 60% of your sodium intake before you even start eating the rest of the meal!
But wait, it gets worse…
These injections contain a long list of ingredients – oftentimes chemicals – and the needles used to insert the solution push bacteria (like E. coli) from the bird’s surface deep down into the meat where the heat from cooking can’t kill it.
This can greatly increase your and your family’s chances of getting dangerously sick!
How You And Your Family Can Avoid Food Scams And Even Eat Better For LESS MONEY…
Like you, I care about the quality of the food on my family’s table – and I’m sure you do too.
It really sucks that you have to read every label and watch your back due to “big box stores” trying to take advantage of hard-working customers by giving us less food… with lower quality… and still charge us more money!
And when you can’t even trust a “local” at your neighborhood “Farmers Market”… well, what’s left to do, right?
Well, my family and I decided to take matters into our own hands and put in a “raised garden”.
Now, honestly, I suck at growing anything – and I really didn’t think we had the room for it in our tiny yard.
But a “homesteading” friend of mine, Marjory Wildcraft, specializes in how to “grow your own groceries” and she showed me the fastest and easiest way to produce healthy and delicious vegetables – even in a tiny yard – and easy enough so even a “plant killer” like me can do it.
And being “survival-minded”, I was pretty amazed at just how many calories we can grow in just a tiny section with a raised-bed garden after Marjory showed us which vegetables have the densest caloric count and are the most nutritious.
We stock a lot of pre-made “survival food” for an emergency… but I’m really digging this new “gardening thing” now that I’m getting my hands dirty! 🙂
We’re just getting started on our garden now and our next step is to tackle chickens so we can produce our own eggs.
I’ll be sure to report back as we make progress.
Although I live in a tiny, dark, condo with a horrible HOA that doesn’t allow any edible plants to be grown outside, I have an indoor hydroponic (Kratky) garden. It’s not perfect but it’s the best I can do presently, and better than nothing. At least I know I can grow tomatoes & peppers (for the vitamin C), greens, and microgreens.
Mulch. No till Gardening but takes some time.
https://odysee.com/@dharmabear:2/Back-To-Eden-documentary-2011:b
Cover an area with card bored or lots of news papers to keep down the weeds put on 2-4 inches of mulch cover with a tarp and let it rot and then you can plant in that area next year.
You can also do cover crops https://www.prairiemoon.com/seed-mixes/ this will kill the weeds and support other life birds bugs soil microbes. You can do the seed mixes or use things like buckwheat and till it in that will boost the soil in organic matter to hold in water and provide food for the microbes to eat that will in turn feed your plants then you. Its all about soil health poop is earth yogurt just like fermented food helps your gut.
Be careful were you get your bagged soils there is something called bio-solids that your city waste companies are selling to farmers or soil companies that have every toxin/disease chemical you can think of in it also has every pharmaceutical in it. It is the solids collected from cities waste systems filtered out. https://www.bitchute.com/video/zC6lw1LFiXoi/ This is a link to a documentary of on biosolids.
There are many many ways to start growing food I could talk for hours about this.
I got 130LBS of squash out of an area that a hatchback could park in. Only plant one type of squash in an area or you’ll get odd ball squash and never plant your watermelon with in a mile of squash as they will cross pollinate and both crops will be lost.
This is a good channel of a gent who can show many ways to turn junk plant life into food your your crops. https://odysee.com/@dharmabear:2/Back-To-Eden-documentary-2011:b
WOW! 130lbs of squash in such a tiny space? There are so many great tips in here Pete! Thanks for sharing!
You missed a big one. Predatory pricing. I’ve seen this at big warehouse stores and it can go on anywhere. Prices are kept in computer and fed to checkout. Stickers are no longer on products. There’s a label with SKU etc on the shelf.
The scam is to raise the price on big shopping days (weekends) and have normal pricing during the week. Grocers like to run sales on Wednesday which is usually a slow day otherwise.
It might be worth your while to price, say a dozen popular items (milk, eggs, bread, cuts of meat, fresh fruit & veg), every day for a week to see if you can spot a trend. See if “sales” are really sales. They are usually on the end caps of aisles.
Jeff,
Chickens are easy. Once you establish a good flock you will get an abundance of eggs. I recommend starting with 6 and build from there. If you don’t have to worry about predators, get a movable coop. If you don’t have room. You can build one yourself cheap ( wait I take that back even lumber is up) but much cheaper than buying one built. I would not let them roam in your garden they will destroy it. But will eat all the bugs. Hope this helps. BigVMd
I built my house in 1978 and put the front of the house south facing with a 2 story green house that heats the house as well as hydroponic growing beds which grows all I need year round heated by the sun and a outside garden as well from April till Dec.
I’d love to see a drawing of your floor plan. It would be wonderful to replicate it.
Just one that everyone should know. Don’t try to do everything, unless you are retired and have room, but trade with like minded people. Trade crops for eggs and meat. Some people are better at some crops than others and sometimes it’s just poor soil.
Tomatoes are one thing I raise in our garden,beefstake variety to be exact. I make sure to keep the branches elevated off the ground. I use small wooden branches to build a frame as they grow.
I do the no dig method. As one person here stated, you can cover an area of weeds and grass with cardboard, but skip the mulch. What you would do is then put up to 4 inches of compost (organic is best) and you’re ready to start planting your garden. Every year you will top up your garden bed with more compost. I have done this for two years now, and I have grown the best and most beautiful gardens of vegetables. If you want more information, you can follow Charles Dowding on YouTube. Just an FYI, tilling your soil yearly will yield nice aerated soil, but you will have disturbed and potentially killed off most of the microbes in your soil, and thus reduced your yield for the year. Using the new dig method, you will yield much greater harvests.
I learned from my neighbors. One had a big flock with (roosters forbidden by ordinance). There developed a fowl odor soon the entire flock was gone. A privacy fence was erected, with graffiti on the side next to the other neighbor. Chicken free. No eggs. Evidently they had complained to the city about the smell and roosters.
There is a persistent herbicide that is being used on hay fields. It is not broken down in the environment or the cattle. It is called Grazon, and it kills deciduous plants.
lots of good comments but it starts earlier than that! never shop without a list showing brand name, ad price, weight (ounces, pounds, quantities). verify your purchase before you leave the store versus your list. pay attention as they ring up your purchase. stores count on you not coming back for refunds less than a few dollars. if you buy bagged items like potatoes cheaper than in a lesser quantity, know that the stores put a few rotten potatoes in the center of the bag knowing you won’t examine and notice the rotten ones. odds are if you find them later as you start using the potatoes, most people will not try to get refunds on these deceptive prices and tactics. always check the packaging for tampering and insects. lastly, there is no such thing as organic unless you grow your own food. the fda only inspects and approves certain criteria like no gmos but allow poisonous fertilizer and insect sprays to be used and hidden under the ‘organic’ banner. there is much more to learn! good luck shopping!
Just the obvious ones listed Many more. Nesters market vancouver very creative at rip offs and deception
Raised beds are nice but elevated beds are even better and for seniors or disabled much more accessible and can even be rolled from location to location to follow sun and weather conditions…outside in daylight, in the garage at night to stop critters from eating plants.
My chicken advice is to start with 2 or 3 hens. You should add a couple every year. Remember they lay great the first year, good then second/third years and continues to decline with age. Sometimes you have the super hen that lays fairly well for 5-6 years. I have 2 of those in my flock. One I just figured out is 6 yrs old now and I still get about 3 eggs/wk from her. Chickens are destructive. Roosters won’t work with close neighbors or in town as you have heard. I have room and have several. My goal with mine is to not keep hens beyond 3-4 years unless they are good broody hens. I do butcher them myself. Not my favorite thing but it is the cleanest meat in my freezer. They live a great life free ranging my yard supplemented with organic feed. Clean coop regularly so it does not smell. Compost the manure for your garden. In the winter I just put it directly in the garden early on so it has time to break down by planting time. Storeys Guide to raising chickens is a pretty good book to start with.
I started my gardening journey about 5 years ago by building a Keyhole Garden. I love the concept. Unfortunately, that year the grasshoppers invaded the entire region and as soon as a sprout showed its head above the soil, the grasshoppers ate it. So, the garden was disassembled and some earthmoving was done away from the house. The chosen spot was scraped, trees removed, ground leveled, a fence erected using cattle panels and t-posts and a gate was installed. The beds were laid out using grade stakes and mason’s string. I discovered the Ruth Stout method, bought and read her books, we found someone willing to donate a trailer load of old rotting hay. I started planting seeds. The garden didn’t do a whole lot, I got a few things to grow. But I did more researching and reading, more experimenting and incorporated more ideas and concepts. The next year, we doubled the size of the garden, bought Guinea fowl to eat the bugs, added some plumbing and soaker hoses on timers. Still fought off the grasshoppers, unsuccessfully, started building raised beds with 2×4 cedar decking, one layer of 2x4s per year. Some successes, some failures. More experimenting, tweaking, researching. Things keep progressing, changing, developing, growing. Each year, I do more improving, some things get better, other things get tossed out. It is a constant experiment. Try everything until you find things that work. Then try more things. It is a journey and the destination keeps changing. Enjoy the trip. Be patient, both with yourself and with nature.
PS – Guineas are loud, stupid and amusing.