Is a Food Price Nightmare Coming?

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” Russell M. Nelson

After having interviewed hundreds of disaster survivors one of the things I have learned is that those who are spiritually prepared, they pray morning and night, study their scriptures, attend the temple, partake of the Sacrament weekly, and serve faithfully in their callings, still were unable to access promptings directing them during a crisis.

The problem?

They were not temporally prepared. They experienced a “stupor of thought,” and decisions became difficult as they could not “hear” the Holy Ghost’s guidance.

Those who had food stored, supplies to meet other needs, items to replace lack of power and communications, and knowledge and skills were able to be guided as to what steps to take to protect and comfort their families. How can we be receptive to prompting when we are concerned about caring for ourselves and our family?

Decide now to prepare.

“Decisions determine destiny.” Thomas S. Monson

Storing food for an emergency is not an old-fashioned idea—it’s a practical response to the challenges of the times we live in. Today’s food supply chain is highly efficient but faces constant challenges to meet needs. Weather events, transportation issues, labor shortages, and spikes in demand may all affect supplies and costs.

Natural disasters and COVID have helped us understand how quickly store shelves can empty. Keeping a supply of shelf stable foods we normally eat isn’t about fear or outdated traditions or outdated prophetic warnings; it’s about resilience and self-reliance. It allows families to remain confident and calm during trials and reduces stress when circumstances may otherwise feel like too much to handle.

When normal systems break down, even temporarily, access to groceries can become limited or nonexistent, and having a reserve ensures you can meet basic needs without panic. It also provides peace of mind, allowing you to focus on safety and decision-making rather than scrambling for essentials or confused at what to do next. Thoughtful food storage—rotated regularly and tailored to your family’s needs—turns a potentially stressful situation into one that is manageable and far less overwhelming.

However, there is also another reason to store food and that is the one we will focus on today, cost. Many families have lost jobs or are under-employed. Some are struggling to absorb the rising cost of insurance, paying off loans with high interest rate, or facing growing expenses as children’s needs become more pricey.

Food storage allows a family to eat at last year’s prices as you use foods stored at those prices. It also allows for saving as you wait for items to be on sale and rely on storage as you wait.

Food prices will be rising in the coming weeks and months. The United States is currently experiencing widespread and intensifying drought conditions, affecting a significant portion of the country and putting pressure on water supplies, and agriculture. As of April 2026, more than 60% of the Lower 48 states are experiencing some level of drought, impacting over 148 million people and spanning at least 45 states. Prolonged lack of rainfall, unusually warm temperatures, and reduced snowpack have worsened conditions, leading to dry soils, declining water reserves, and increased wildfire risk.

The opposite is true in California, too much rain. With 50% of the fruits, vegetables and nuts we consume in the United States, grown in California, damage to crops should be a concern to all of us. So, let’s take a look at what we know.

Higher prices coming:

Tuna—due to international regulations
Olive oil—due to drought in Italy and Spain
Frozen veggies—crop yields are down due to drought
Grains—due to drought, government regulations imposed over the past few years, and the rising cost of fertilizers. This will lead to higher prices on cereals, crackers, bread, and any product using wheat.
Chicken—due to the price of grains used for feed
Beef—due to smaller herds as a result of, regulations passed over several years, the increased cost of feed and decreased grazing due to drought. Several companies are also being investigated for price fixing.
Cocoa—due to the increase in demand worldwide and crop shortage
Rice—due to export regulations in India
Oranges—due to a freeze
Blueberries—due to short crop as the result of drought
Brussel sprouts, iceberg lettuce, and cauliflower—due to abnormal increase in rain and increase in insects in California
Eggs—two major producers are being investigated for price fixing

Now is the time to rethink our commitment to food storage. If you see any items on the list above that your family enjoys and/or relies on in your normal meal prep now is the time to stock up.

Where to begin? Think baby steps.

Consider your family’s favorite meals. What ingredients does it take to make those meals? Make a list and that list is where you begin stocking your shelves. Don’t forget spices and condiments.
Clear out a cool, dark area to store the foods you purchase separate from where you store the foods you use each day. This could even be the same pantry but just a different shelf. You will want to be sure you have at least a two-week supply of everything before you even think about rotating the foods designated as food storage.
Find a friend or several friends who are also building their emergency food supply and form a posse. Now you have help watching for bargains, learning to can, freeze or dry foods, and sharing volume purchases. Text each other when you see a great deal and pick up items for each other after checking if they are needed.
Determine how much money you will set aside to purchase food supplies.

Now that you have thought through and discussed the need for stocking up with your family and determined what you need, there are a few warnings before you begin.

Slow down. That’s right, just go right ahead and jump into emergency preparedness – blow a thousand dollars on off-the-shelf solutions before you’ve educated yourself. Or… Slow down. Take the time to understand your needs. We are all planning for the same things: food, water, shelter, hygiene, sanitation, and medical needs. The challenges we are preparing for may differ, it really doesn’t matter. The knowledge we need to deal with such emergencies is a matter of awareness, study, and organization. Analyze what your family needs before you begin purchasing. Create a list, plan, and budget for priorities before buying anything. Don’t move too fast.

Follow your own plan. There are many plans floating around on the Internet. Be careful. A common plan challenges you to spend ten dollars a week for a year and provides you with a list of items to purchase each week. Take a careful look at those lists. One such list included only a few jars of peanut butter and a few cans of tuna for protein and no veggies or fruit. Storing from all the food groups should always be your goal. Each plan should be unique to the family storing. Your posse will be storing differently than you and that’s okay. Following your own plan allows you to consider any special dietary needs in your family and only you can determine what to store for those family members. You are the expert for your family.
Choose variety. They say in real estate it is location, location, location. In food storage it is variety, variety, variety. As you create a list of foods and supplies to store, remember that variety is key to maintaining a lifestyle as normal as possible.
Don’t overlook comfort items. Yes – chocolate, candy, and popcorn all have their place in a good, well-constructed food storage plan. Did you know popcorn is also the corn you will want on hand to grind for corn meal? Real popcorn, not the microwave variety. During a time of stress, comfort foods can provide the catalyst that transforms kids from whiners to helpers. Birthdays come even during difficult times, and a birthday cake can really lift the spirits. Store comfort foods.
Remember nutritional needs. Again, think about food groups. When creating your shopping list, be sure to incorporate all of the food groups into your plan. Each group provides a different nutritional need. You should design your list to include grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and fats. Again – remember variety – but this time think color. Fruits and veggies are not created equal. Orange fruits and vegetables provide different nutrients than blue, red, green and purple varieties.
Be spicy. Store spices and condiments like catsup and mayonnaise, etc.
Package properly. Paper bags, paper and cardboard are not good for storing food long term. If you are storing for long term, transfer food to metal, plastic, or glass containers. Plastic, except for buckets, should be your last choice. If you will use boxed foods within a year ,seal the ends with packing tape to avoid an infestation. Containers should be moisture proof to be safe from the ravages of pests like mice and insects.
Store foods you know how to prepare. All the food in the world will do you no good if you cannot prepare it. You may have a neighbor or friend who knows how to bake bread and soak beans but when the time comes you better have enough stored for both families if you plan to ask for the friend’s help. Learn now. Cooking from scratch is one of the best things you can do for your family’s health now and for emergencies later. And for your budget.
Have the proper equipment. If you don’t have a wheat grinder, what good is wheat, except for use as a cereal but that won’t make much of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Do you have the ability to cook foods off the grid if you should be without power or do you have at least some foods that can be eaten right from the can? Which begs the question, do you have a can opener that is not electric?
Don’t overdo it! Whether you purchase all at once or create a weekly budget and purchase over time, never purchase too much of just one food group. Always spread your money between all the groups and if you are on a limited budget get a one-day supply of everything, then a one week, them a one month and so on. Three hundred pounds of wheat is not going to be satisfactory if that emergency arrives before you add the peanut butter and jelly to make the sandwiches.
Water is essential. Water is often the overlooked or under planned element in a preparedness plan. When designing your plan be aware that dehydrated and freeze-dried foods need extra water to reconstitute and prepare. Remember, you need water for drinking, flushing, cleaning, laundry, and cooking. Don’t forget pets are family members too and need to be counted when calculating how much water to store.

Often overlooked sources of liquids are the canned fruits and vegetables you should be storing, and this is precisely the reason for storing them instead of the dried varieties. Additionally, you already know how to use canned varieties, the kids are used to their taste and texture, and they can be eaten directly from the can.

Now, make that list of foods to storing keeping all the tips in mind. Begin small but begin. Beginning may mean purchasing all you need for a breakfast, next week all you need for a lunch and the next week all you need for a dinner or all you need for three meals for a day. Or beginning may mean buying a couple extra cans of fruit this week and a couple extra vegetables the next and the following week a protein, peanut butter, beans or tuna. Watch for sales and take advantage of those, shop two cases at a big box store and share half of each with a member of your posse so you have variety in your storage. Whatever the approach, begin this week.

President Spencer W. Kimball counseled: “As we become more affluent and our bank accounts enlarge, there comes a feeling of security, and we feel sometimes that we do not need the supply that has been suggested by the Brethren. … We must remember that conditions could change, and a year’s supply of basic commodities could be very much appreciated by us or others. So, we would do well to listen to what we have been told and to follow it explicitly. Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a lifestyle that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.”