Rice Shortage Changes Store Policies

According to the Associated Press, some big box stores in the United States are limiting sales of rice in response to inflation in rice and other food prices globally. According to the article, whether an actual rice shortage is a threat for American consumers is unclear; some believe that the stores are limiting purchases to prevent stockpiling by consumers and restaurants before prices rise again.

While all grain prices have been rising, a threat to rice availability at a reasonable price is a particular concern for me. I have celiac disease, which prevents me from consuming wheat and other grains that contain a protein called gluten. In order to protect my health, rice is a critical staple of my diet, not just as a side dish, but as the main ingredient in the bread I eat, the cookies I bake and the products I purchase. An increase in rice prices or a rice shortage has the ability to radically effect my budget and limit the availability of my food choices, even more than the average American.

In response to the possible rice shortage and food inflation in general, I have found myself traveling farther for cheaper prices (because I live in a major metropolitan area with mass transit, I am not directly affected by gas prices), and buying more of my products of choice each trip both to avoid paying inflated prices later and to be sure I have food on hand should my own financial circumstances change. Frozen goods and shelf-stable versions of products that normally go bad quickly are also finding their way into my cart more often.

Specifically, the risk of the rice shortage has caused me to stock up on the rice products I prefer, which include different types of rice grains and pre-made risotto mixes, as well as rice-flours and bread, cake and cookies mixes based on rice. These products, because of their specialty nature, are already expensive and an increase in price makes me nervous. In addition to the rice shortage, I face financial impact from the increase in corn prices, as unable to consume wheat, corn is my other staple grain.

Generic and store-brands are also increasingly a choice for me to hold my grocery bill constant as food prices go up and the rice shortage threatens. I have also looked at bulk ordering directly from the manufacturer the products I use most commonly, and have been asked on more than one occasion to go in with friends on ordering cases of rice and rice-based prepared meals directly from their source to cut-out the middleman.

Buying locally has also been a strategy for keeping my food prices down. Whenever possible I shop at local farmer's markets, where prices are low thanks to the lack of middlemen and lower costs to the producer from long-distance shipping.

Associated Press, "Warehouse Stores Restrict Rice Sales", The New York Times