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AGENCY TESTIMONY
COVID-19 impact and rising food prices
0:10:14
ยท
124 sec
Kate MacKenzie discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply chains and the subsequent rise in food prices, affecting food security for New Yorkers.
- Highlights supply chain disruptions and labor shortages during the pandemic
- Provides statistics on food price increases since 2022
- Mentions the impact on household and city agency budgets
- Cites a 2024 poll showing increased difficulty in affording groceries for New Yorkers
Kate MacKenzie
0:10:14
When food forward was released in 2021, it responded to the lessons learned during the early days and continuing days of the COVID nineteen pandemic.
0:10:24
Our food supply chains and the infrastructure to support to support them weren't yet ready to withstand major disruptions, limiting our ability to transport and store perishable foods and guarantee their quality.
0:10:39
Food supply chain disruptions that you've pointed out and labor shortages during the pandemic spurred widespread price volatility.
0:10:47
While some of those immediate shocks have subsided, it is clear that food prices have continued to rise straining household and city agency budgets across the country.
0:10:59
For example, since 2022, food prices have increased by about 2.6% annually across The United States.
0:11:09
Between January of twenty twenty four and this January, grocery grocery prices rose by nearly 2% and restaurant prices climbed three and a half percent.
0:11:20
Notably, almost goes without saying, the cost of eggs has reached record highs increasing by over 10% in February and 60% over the past year.
0:11:32
These rising prices impact the food and nutrition security of New Yorkers.
0:11:38
A 2024 no kid hungry New York poll found that nearly four in five New Yorkers said that affording groceries has become more difficult, and 85% have reported that rising costs of food have outpaced their incomes.
0:11:53
According to the Department of Agriculture, in 2023, a typical US household spent $75 per person per week on food, $5 more than the previous year and $25 more than pre pandemic times in 2019.
0:12:11
Overall, food prices are anticipated to increase by yet another three and a half percent this year.