BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M BTR MAR. 4-10, 2022 9
some people are going to pay for what
they believe is the best quality item.
There’s always a variety of consumer
behaviors,” said Martin Kohli, regional
economist for the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. “We have a sense
that some will make substitutions,
and they might eat chicken or a hamburger,
if they can’t afford the steak.
But it’s hard to tell if these changes
are seismic enough to see a downward
shift in consumer behavior.”
For Bronxites who cannot afford
to pay $5 or more for a slab of meat, or
leverage half of their minimum-wage
paycheck on overpriced goods, it’s fueled
a rise and need for food pantries.
Of the NYC food pantry users surveyed
between Dec. 27 and 31, 2021,96%
of those surveyed reported they noticed
higher food prices, and 87% reported
they changed what food they
bought because of higher prices and
that they expect to have to visit food
pantries more often because of higher
prices.
City Harvest, New York’s fi rst and
largest food rescue organization, plans
to deliver about 300,000 pounds of food
each day, to the nearly 2.4 million New
Yorkers struggling to make ends meet.
City Harvest in September 2021 delivered
its one-billionth pound of food, a
majority of which has been fresh, nutritious
produce.
“New York City’s food insecurity
crisis long predates the COVID-19
pandemic,” said Jilly Stephens, CEO
of City Harvest. “Millions of people
across the city already struggled to
feed themselves and their families,
and rising food prices have only exacerbated
those challenges. Since the
start of the pandemic, City Harvest
has rescued and delivered more than
250 million pounds of food and we
don’t see that elevated need returning
to pre-pandemic levels any time soon.
We will continue to work day in and
day out to ensure all New Yorkers have
access to fresh, nutritious food.”
Despite rise in prices, Bronx supermarket cashiers haven’t noticed a change in consumer behaviors when it comes to purchasing the “essentials”
like meat and eggs. Photos Adrian Childress
Meat prices are up, and analyst cite the pandemic’s
effect on meat production and the
meat industry as key reasons why.
In the Bronx, which is the city’s “hungriest
borough” with 1 in 4 residents experiencing
food insecurity, rising food prices is another
hurdle to overcome for struggling families.