Cheese Prices Increase 55 Percent Over Last Year
Lately the news media have been abuzz with reports of rising cheese prices, and the effect this is having on the nation’s pizzerias. Cheese is the most expensive ingredient that goes into making pizza, so the reported 55 percent price increases this year have surely given pizza joints a run for their money. Pizza Hut and Papa Johns have both raised the prices of their plain pizzas to match those of their one-topping pizzas.
Some have blamed the price increases on the rising costs of cattle feed, costs that in turn have been propelled by higher demand for corn in the production of ethanol fuel. Unfortunately this will all come to a head at some point in the future because there simply isn’t enough corn to feed all our cars in addition to our cows. I’d say let’s choose cheese instead, and ride our bikes more!
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.
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2 Comments:
Hi Jamie!
have the prices of cheeses made from the milk of grassfed cows gone up?
grass is free. cows like grass. content cows make yummy cheese. cows are ruminants, they're not supposed to eat corn.... maybe that's the problem?
theheadhen at 11:12AM on 07/09/07
That's an important point. These news stories are referring to commodity cheese prices, set according to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. These cheeses are made from the milk of cows fed on corn, not grass. And since it is likely that the increases have been caused by higher demand for corn, it stands to reason that grass-fed cow's milk (and cheese made from it) shouldn't increase correspondingly. However, there are many forces at work here, and I can't really agree that grass is "free." Try telling that to the farmer who devotes many acres of land and long hours of difficult labor to produce that grass. And if that farmer realizes that his land and labor would be better served growing corn for ethanol and decides to switch production, then there would definitely be an effect on the price of milk from grass-fed cows.
jamieforrest at 5:47PM on 07/09/07