U.S food prices having an impact on a food pantry In Rapid city

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) -Food prices across the United States are rising at historic rates making it harder for places like Feeding South Dakota to help families in need.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says food-at-home prices are expected to increase between five and six percent this year.

Sean Burke, Development associate for feeding South Dakota says the recent spike in gas prices and transportation has had an impact on them reaching full inventory.

He states “Transportation has almost doubled in some cases, so getting the food here whether we are picking up the full costs of transporting load or a surcharge. Those have all increased tremendously. Which has a lot to do with the availability of truckers, availability of trucks, change in logistics fuel expenses, so it is quite a snowball effect.”

Triple A list is the average price for diesel at five dollars and fifty-five cents, which is up to two dollars from last year. Transportation costs have now hit home as empty rows lie untouched in the warehouse, which is something that Burke says he has never seen before.

Burke states “At a point now where we are getting food in, repackaging it, and getting food out, so what used to be a lot fuller rack in terms of our...maybe a couple of weeks’ worth of supply we are now down to. We are kind of getting it in, moving it out, getting it in, moving it out.”

A trend that does not seem to be going away...anytime soon.

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