EVERY AISLE IMPACTED

The reality is that increased food shortages, due to global weather conditions, could well be a real problem for keeping supermarket shelves stocked in the near future. per the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "humanity is risking 'a breakdown of food systems linked to warming, drought, flooding and precipitation variability and extremes.'" It's estimated that, by the year 2040, food prices will be four times higher than they were in 2000.

Surveys continue to underscore the fact that most shoppers do not make the connection between weather conditions and the prices (or availability) of the foods they have on their shopping list. Sure, most have heard that the California drought has affected their produce prices and that bird flu has decimated the laying hen population and that as a result egg prices are up in some cases by a third. However, when we get past the news cycle people forget, and then lay blame on the retailer for higher prices. Consumer education is necessary to adjust their shopping perceptions.

With the mass of information and debates surrounding climate change, it can sometimes seem like an intangible and confusing issue for consumers, with many not really understanding the implications or even having an interest in how it may effect their everyday life.