GOOD

These Everyday Grocery Items Are About To Get A Lot More Expensive

New year’s resolution: eat less meat?

 Kate Ryan
09.21.16

Image via Wikipedia

It doesn’t take an expert economist to notice that everything seems to be getting more expensive. From gas to electricity to rent, Americans can barely catch a break from increasing expenses. As we hurtle towards 2017, it looks like prices at the grocery store are going to tick upward as well, Mental Floss reports.

According to a report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), analysts predict costs to go up in a few major categories over the course of 2017. While the price increases in some cases may only be 1 or 2 percent, in the long run, those differences can really add up. Here are the main products to be mindful of this upcoming year.

Beef

Although beef and veal prices were 7.7 percent lower this past July than they were at the same time last year, ERS researchers expect prices to bounce back with a 2 to 3 percent increase in 2017. Declining American beef exports, greater supply, and weaker demand have all contributed to lower beef prices (thanks, #MeatlessMonday!) Starting in 2017, however, analysts expect other countries to increase demand for U.S. beef, causing an overall spike in prices.

Poultry

It seems 2017 is going to be a tough year for meat eaters. While chicken prices have followed a trend similar to beef’s, the ERS expects the cost of poultry to jump by 1.5 to 2.5 percent this coming year. That’s an average increase of 6 cents per pound, according to Mental Floss.

Eggs

Although retail egg prices took a big hit over the summer, dropping 29 percent below July 2015 averages, chicken eggs are one of the most volatile grocery items on the market. Seasonal demand typically dictates price fluctuations, and with a recent HPAI outbreak calming down among U.S. flocks, the ERS forecasts a price increase of 1 to 2 percent by next year.

Dairy

Moving on in the animal products category, dairy prices could experience an increase of 1.5 to 2.5 percent next year. Dairy prices have been lower this year thanks to expanded cattle grazing, but you can expect that to change as dairy imports decline and the market stabilizes.

Fats And Oils

Pack in all the peanut butter you can before the year ends because by next year, guys: prices are expected to go up by 1.5 to 2.5 percent.

Fruit

It’ll be a little trickier to quench your appetite for fresh fruit this upcoming winter season as the ERS expects prices to surpass this year’s steep prices by another 1 to 2 percent in 2017.

Food

A former Miss World contestant was disqualified for being a mom. Now she's fighting back.

Some beauty pageants, like the Miss America competition, have done away with the swimsuit portions of the competitions, thus dipping their toes in the 21st century. Other aspects of beauty pageants remain stuck in the 1950s, and we're not even talking about the whole "judging women mostly on their looks" thing. One beauty pageant winner was disqualified for being a mom, as if you can't be beautiful after you've had a kid. Now she's trying to get the Miss World competition to update their rules.

Veronika Didusenko won the Miss Ukraine pageant in 2018. After four days, she was disqualified because pageant officials found out she was a mom to 5-year-old son Alex, and had been married. Didusenko said she had been aware of Miss World's rule barring mother from competing, but was encouraged to compete anyways by pageant organizers.

Keep Reading Show less
sexism beauty contest discrimination veronika didusenko miss world

NASA's solar probe sent back its first findings, and it's more incredible than we thought

upload.wikimedia.org

One mystery in our universe is a step closer to being solved. NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched last year to help scientists understand the sun. Now, it has returned its first findings. Four papers were published in the journal Nature detailing the findings of Parker's first two flybys. It's one small step for a solar probe, one giant leap for mankind.



It is astounding that we've advanced to the point where we've managed to build a probe capable of flying within 15 million miles from the surface of the sun, but here we are. Parker can withstand temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and travels at 430,000 miles per hour. It's the fastest human-made vehicle, and no other human-made object has been so close to the sun.

Keep Reading Show less
nasa space parker solar probe sun

The Army's football program ditched a team motto after learning it's used by white supremacists

via Sportstreambest / Flickr

Since the mid '90s the phrase "God Forgives, Brothers Don't" has been part of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's football team's lexicon.

Over the past few years, the team has taken the field flying a black skull-and-crossbones flag with an acronym for the phrase, "GFBD" on the skull's upper lip. Supporters of the team also use it on social media as #GFBD.

Keep Reading Show less
god forgives brothers don't white supremacists aryan biker gangs brian bosworth west point football anti-defamation league college football espn army motto gfbd
Culture