Rice is the new Oil - Start Stocking Up on Rice

[jcoltage]

Rice is about to sky rocket - stock up time
Costco USA is now put a limit on buying rice to 1 bag per member...

He said he's seen the price of rice go from $20 to $40 in a matter of weeks.

The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.

"You can't eat this every day. It's too heavy," a health care executive from Palo Alto, Sharad Patel, grumbled as his son loaded two sacks of the Basmati into a shopping cart. "We only need one bag but I'm getting two in case a neighbor or a friend needs it," the elder man said.

The Patels seemed headed for disappointment, as most Costco members were being allowed to buy only one bag. Moments earlier, a clerk dropped two sacks back on the stack after taking them from another customer who tried to exceed the one-bag cap.

"Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history," a sign above the dwindling supply said.

Shoppers said the limits had been in place for a few days, and that rice supplies had been spotty for a few weeks. A store manager referred questions to officials at Costco headquarters near Seattle, who did not return calls or e-mail messages yesterday.

An employee at the Costco store in Queens said there were no restrictions on rice buying, but limits were being imposed on purchases of oil and flour. Internet postings attributed some of the shortage at the retail level to bakery owners who flocked to warehouse stores when the price of flour from commercial suppliers doubled.


What happens in the states slowly makes it way to Canada - Stock up before the rest - Rice does not go bad if stored properly.

[kurtblak]

rice?

never heard of it.

it's not that popular in my neighborhood.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r203/fotofoto6/test/3.jpg

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[IronMac]

Price has been going up for weeks now and some nations have banned the exportation of rice to other countries.

[Menace]

What can I say? We are truly living in a f_ed up world these days. Everything is going up now.

[mgronqui]

Does this mean that the fried rice I order for lunch will go up in price too? Or the Sidekicks rice I cook????

[whampoa]

If people are smart, they should skip white rice all together. It's full of starch and have little nutrition value.

Better yet find the more healthy mixed of red, black and brown rice with higher protein content.

[Alvito]

If people are smart, they should skip white rice all together. It's full of starch and have little nutrition value.

Better yet find the more healthy mixed of red, black and brown rice with higher protein content.

that rice tastes like crap.

[whampoa]

If people are smart, they should skip white rice all together. It's full of starch and have little nutrition value.

Better yet find the more healthy mixed of red, black and brown rice with higher protein content.

that rice tastes like crap.

Get use to it, you'll be eating it soon enough when the price of refine white rice hits the roof.

[evilbunny]

Where can I find this rice? Is it cheaper than white rice? I see 5 and 10 kilo bags of white rice at my grocery store but none of the others.

If people are smart, they should skip white rice all together. It's full of starch and have little nutrition value.

Better yet find the more healthy mixed of red, black and brown rice with higher protein content.

[FearSonic]

Brown rice tastes like corn.

I'll stick with white rice.

[Valek]

Do you think the food court at CTC will raise it's prices past $3.50 because of the increase in price for rice in general? I hope not. :(

[Valek]

Yay Depression! It's going to be like the 20's and dirty thirties again.. but with the Internet!

[1yellowdog]

Rice does not go bad if stored properly.

Brown rice has a much shorter shelf life than others.

[user01]

If rice goes up, does it mean the whole China economy goes down due to the supplies in demand?

[UrbanPoet]

Do you think the food court at CTC will raise it's prices past $3.50 because of the increase in price for rice in general? I hope not. :(

probably... Those guys work on such slim margins. They even include a soy milk. O_O

I remember when it was $2.50.

[Valek]

probably... Those guys work on such slim margins. They even include a soy milk. O_O

I remember when it was $2.50.

I know, same here. I didn't mind eating at tables with dead roaches stuck within the nooks of the table. The tray coverd the table quite nicely. I thought $3.50 was a lot when they upped the price, haha.

[Kreez]

Does this have to do with food-crops used for biofuels, or simply due to increased shipping costs - due to high fuel costs?

[whampoa]

Where can I find this rice? Is it cheaper than white rice? I see 5 and 10 kilo bags of white rice at my grocery store but none of the others.

No they are not cheaper than white rice. In fact, they are more expensive pound-for-pound. But the advantage of mixed color rice are the following:

1) Protein to increase muscle mass, less fat from starch and sugar.

2) You eat less and get full faster, opposite of white rice where the starch content make you eat more than it's require.

3) In the long term, you save by eating less of the rice.

4) Food that' actually good for your health and well being.

5) And what's wrong with corn anyways, make sure to select the North American indegenious corns with mixed dark colors and high protein.

Not the genetically modified yellow corn that taste like cardboard.


It not only rice but Corn too and Corn is in EVERYTHING - no more 99 cent cokes

Rice and Corn syrups will kill us in inflated prices

If not kill you earlier by their high glucose content, responsible for high obesity rate, early childhood diabete and cancer.

[aw3s0me]

maybe the rise in cheap foods will help fight north america's war against obesity

[gmark2000]

I bought bags of jasmine, sushi, and basmati rice last week. Are these food prices going to hold up?

There's rioting in Asia over food shortages lately.

Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World
April 21, 2008
BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
URL: http://www2.nysun.com/article/74994

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.

At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.

"Where's the rice?" an engineer from Palo Alto, Calif., Yajun Liu, said. "You should be able to buy something like rice. This is ridiculous."

The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.

"You can't eat this every day. It's too heavy," a health care executive from Palo Alto, Sharad Patel, grumbled as his son loaded two sacks of the Basmati into a shopping cart. "We only need one bag but I'm getting two in case a neighbor or a friend needs it," the elder man said.

The Patels seemed headed for disappointment, as most Costco members were being allowed to buy only one bag. Moments earlier, a clerk dropped two sacks back on the stack after taking them from another customer who tried to exceed the one-bag cap.

"Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history," a sign above the dwindling supply said.

Shoppers said the limits had been in place for a few days, and that rice supplies had been spotty for a few weeks. A store manager referred questions to officials at Costco headquarters near Seattle, who did not return calls or e-mail messages yesterday.

An employee at the Costco store in Queens said there were no restrictions on rice buying, but limits were being imposed on purchases of oil and flour. Internet postings attributed some of the shortage at the retail level to bakery owners who flocked to warehouse stores when the price of flour from commercial suppliers doubled.

The curbs and shortages are being tracked with concern by survivalists who view the phenomenon as a harbinger of more serious trouble to come.

"It's sporadic. It's not every store, but it's becoming more commonplace," the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, James Rawles, said. "The number of reports I've been getting from readers who have seen signs posted with limits has increased almost exponentially, I'd say in the last three to five weeks."

Spiking food prices have led to riots in recent weeks in Haiti, Indonesia, and several African nations. India recently banned export of all but the highest quality rice, and Vietnam blocked the signing of a new contract for foreign rice sales.

"I'm surprised the Bush administration hasn't slapped export controls on wheat," Mr. Rawles said. "The Asian countries are here buying every kind of wheat." Mr. Rawles said it is hard to know how much of the shortages are due to lagging supply and how much is caused by consumers hedging against future price hikes or a total lack of product.

"There have been so many stories about worldwide shortages that it encourages people to stock up. What most people don't realize is that supply chains have changed, so inventories are very short," Mr. Rawles, a former Army intelligence officer, said. "Even if people increased their purchasing by 20%, all the store shelves would be wiped out."

At the moment, large chain retailers seem more prone to shortages and limits than do smaller chains and mom-and-pop stores, perhaps because store managers at the larger companies have less discretion to increase prices locally. Mr. Rawles said the spot shortages seemed to be most frequent in the Northeast and all the way along the West Coast. He said he had heard reports of buying limits at Sam's Club warehouses, which are owned by Wal-Mart Stores, but a spokesman for the company, Kory Lundberg, said he was not aware of any shortages or limits.

An anonymous high-tech professional writing on an investment Web site, Seeking Alpha, said he recently bought 10 50-pound bags of rice at Costco. "I am concerned that when the news of rice shortage spreads, there will be panic buying and the shelves will be empty in no time. I do not intend to cause a panic, and I am not speculating on rice to make profit. I am just hoarding some for my own consumption," he wrote.

For now, rice is available at Asian markets in California, though consumers have fewer choices when buying the largest bags. "At our neighborhood store, it's very expensive, more than $30" for a 25-pound bag, a housewife from Mountain View, Theresa Esquerra, said. "I'm not going to pay $30. Maybe we'll just eat bread."

[ephemera]

The Eviro's wanted us to use less oil, so their bright idea was to convert crops into fuel.

Now I read that the use of Palm Oil for fuel is leading to deforestation in south america.

Wouldn't the world be better off just using OIL? Do we care more about the environment than mass starvation?

[Hairball]

It not only rice but Corn too and Corn is in EVERYTHING - no more 99 cent cokes

Rice and Corn syrups will kill us in inflated prices

Corn syrup isn't used to sweeten Coke and other soft drinks in Canada. It is in the US however.

They use real sugar here in Canada. That's why if you try drinking Coke on the other side of the border, it'll taste different.

[SuperManh]

Does this have to do with food-crops used for biofuels, or simply due to increased shipping costs - due to high fuel costs?

This is due to the flooding in various parts of asia that happened a few months ago. I stocked up on 20 bags a month ago when the price was at 8.99!

[AcidBomber]

I heard about this from a friend too... o.O
Are we actually short on rice? lol... bad for Azns who eat rice on a daily basis. :|

[divx]

Yay Depression! It's going to be like the 20's and dirty thirties again.. but with the Internet!

Now the world can depress together.

we should have been affected by the world food price issue sooner but I don't see the effect yet.

[rf134a]

It's all due to the US initiative to create 39 billion gallons of ethanol from corn. The rice shortage has been going on for a while:
http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/Story.html?id=420283

The National Post did a huge 4-page spread on April 12th on how the biofuel push has created a food shortage. Excess corn that used to be donated to the third world is being converted into ethanol.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=439710
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=440262

[M@rk]

rice?

never heard of it.

it's not that popular in my neighborhood.

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I know some people think those pictures are a joke, but it's not! That place is on the outskirts of Chinatown in Vancouver (ghetto area...), we've been buying rice there my whole life, it's cheaper than the supermarket! The owner is filthy rich from the business, there's like 3 generations of the family working there now.

Maybe I should stock up lol.

[Muncher]

Don't know what to do either. I stockpiled for Y2K and all I got was weevils all over my kitchen. Grains get infected even before they get shipped to the retailers. Maybe I can microwave or bake it all again, but somehow it doesn't taste the same when cooked, especially the rice which is kinda crusty.

[profguy]

I bought bags of jasmine, sushi, and basmati rice last week. Are these food prices going to hold up?

There's rioting in Asia over food shortages lately.

Follow the herd and stock up now.

[nalababe]

Remember that you have to factor in costs and where you are living. Will a dollar increase (I seem to recall TnT mentioning this would be the increase) on a 7 dollar bag of rice be a big deal to you? No probably not. but increase a cost from 50 cents to one dollar in a third world country...and yes, you have riots.

Of course, you could always choose not to eat rice...we have other options...some of these countries do not have that option.

[Keelie]

i heard about this weeks ago, surprised its just getting around now :confused:

people tend to panic in these situations and over stock. i bought a bag of rice and flour, and when it runs out i'll buy more.

[batman321123]

Blame the dumbasses who are planting corn to make biofuel. Food should be for people - not for machines.

[IronMac]

Don't know what to do either. I stockpiled for Y2K and all I got was weevils all over my kitchen. Grains get infected even before they get shipped to the retailers. Maybe I can microwave or bake it all again, but somehow it doesn't taste the same when cooked, especially the rice which is kinda crusty.

No, freeze it when you get it. I purchased bags of oatmeal on the cheap a couple of years back and dumped them in my deep freezer. Guaranteed to kill any sort of bugs and their eggs. Take them out again if you need the space and dump them back in on occasion. :)

[IronMac]

Follow the herd and stock up now.

Sometimes the herd is right. Why do you think that there are such phenomenons such as flocks, herds and schools in the natural world?

[IronMac]

Remember that you have to factor in costs and where you are living. Will a dollar increase (I seem to recall TnT mentioning this would be the increase) on a 7 dollar bag of rice be a big deal to you? No probably not. but increase a cost from 50 cents to one dollar in a third world country...and yes, you have riots.

Of course, you could always choose not to eat rice...we have other options...some of these countries do not have that option.

Actually, you should be looking at the percentage increase in the price of food. I assure you, if my bag of rice went up a hundred percent I'd be very upset.

As for other options, there aren't that many other options out there; all grains and basic commodities are rising quickly in price right now.

[IronMac]

Blame the dumbasses who are planting corn to make biofuel. Food should be for people - not for machines.

Blame the idiots whose lifestyle includes buying into an unsustainable lifestyle predicated on consumption. In other words, what do you call those who are paying the dumba**es to plant the corn?

[Bullseye]

Captain Dave's is always good for generating some anxiety;

http://survival-center.com/

The Food Storage FAQ is quite useful, though, if anyone is serious about storing rice or other foods.

[teknoluv]

I HATED rice when I was a kid. (Much better now that I'm older.) One more reason NOT to eat rice. LOL!

[gman]

Wrong it grows stronger cause there is more demand for one of their major exports .... if supplies were high demand low then China fails.

China imports rice and not really exporting rice. At least, I don't see any rice was from China here. Even if it does export rice, China is not a major player exporting rice to developed countries. e.g. 'normal' rice (as most people buy) sold in Hong Kong are from Thai, US and Australia.

[gordholio]

I HATED rice when I was a kid. (Much better now that I'm older.) One more reason NOT to eat rice. LOL!

White rice doesn't really have much of a taste to hate. I try to buy Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice. Now it has a nice taste - takes 50 minutes on simmer after it comes to a boil.

[Muncher]

I don't have much space. Can I keep the rice PERMANENTLY in the freezer?

[IronMac]

I don't have much space. Can I keep the rice PERMANENTLY in the freezer?

If you don't have room elsewhere then why not?

[teknoluv]

White rice doesn't really have much of a taste to hate.
No, I didn't hate the taste of it (or the lack of it). I hated being told to eat rice when I actually like bread and potatoes more.

[M@rk]

Actually, you should be looking at the percentage increase in the price of food. I assure you, if my bag of rice went up a hundred percent I'd be very upset.


I guess it impacts bigger families more. A 20kg bag of rice lasts us (3 people eating rice almost every night) for months and months... and it's cheap to begin with, so that's why I didn't even bother stockpiling. When the price of apple juice goes up $0.10 at the supermarket, it impacts me a LOT more.

China imports rice and not really exporting rice. At least, I don't see any rice was from China here. Even if it does export rice, China is not a major player exporting rice to developed countries. e.g. 'normal' rice (as most people buy) sold in Hong Kong are from Thai, US and Australia.

Really? All my life I've been buying rice from China. I thought only the fancy fragrant/congee stuff comes from elsewhere.

[neospice]

Wow, I can't even remember the last time I ate rice yet people are hording the stuff now? Buddy of mine at work eats the stuff EVERY day and I have no idea how he does it.

[pitz]

It not only rice but Corn too and Corn is in EVERYTHING - no more 99 cent cokes


No loss there; average American lardbutt might actually drop a few pounds if they stop drinking that cr*p.

The soft drink industry could, and should dissappear, and quite frankly, in the long run, we'd all probably be better off.

How many barrels of oil does it take to deliver a barrel of hydrated Coca Cola syrup to consumers? I suspect its quite a bit more than a 1:1 equivilancy.

[M@rk]

No loss there; average American lardbutt might actually drop a few pounds if they stop drinking that cr*p.

The soft drink industry could, and should dissappear, and quite frankly, in the long run, we'd all probably be better off.

How many barrels of oil does it take to deliver a barrel of hydrated Coca Cola syrup to consumers? I suspect its quite a bit more than a 1:1 equivilancy.

Does Canadian coke have HFCS? I know Mexican Coke doesn't, and I heard that our version uses cane syrup instead.

[boubouq]

I just bought 20 lbs of Shirakiku rice at T&T supermarket yesterday as it was on sale(I think $9 or $10)

[LaymanX]

There is no global shortage of rice (despite the indirect effect of reduced corn supplies due to ethanol). What we have is hoarding on a variety of levels, from the traders to the retailers to the customers, creating an artificial shortage.

YOU worsen the situation when you horde. If everyone goes in and buys 5 bags of rice, then other people will come around and see that the rice stocks at the store are bare, and they'll get paranoid and start hoarding too.

It's a vicious cycle, and posts like this are only making it worse.

[ZenOps]

China had a really bad year last year for rice because of flooding.

Austrailia had a really bad year for wheat last year because of drought.

Florida had a bad year for oranges (but that tends to happen on and off quite regulary)

A good chunk of the US has moved over to not-for-food corn.

Perfect storm - could get ugly if things aren't back to normal this year.

To me, the price of cooking oil has gone ridiculous... One litre of half decent olive oil goes for a small fortune now. A tin of canned olives is now in the $2 range.

[Superchick]

I was at No Frills and Sobey's in Richmond Hill on the weekend and I could not find a single bag of basmati rice.

[4flava]

LOL, my parents went out and bought tonnes of rice.. so far I have 86 bags of rice in my basement AND counting...hahaha.

[Rx-87]

LOL, my parents went out and bought tonnes of rice.. so far I have 86 bags of rice in my basement AND counting...hahaha.

. . . . .

thats enuff bags to meet restaurant levels of inventory for almost a month.... and I'm referring to Asian restaurants.

;)

You sure have a large basement

[teknoluv]

LOL, my parents went out and bought tonnes of rice.. so far I have 86 bags of rice in my basement AND counting...hahaha.
Gosh! People won't die without rice, AS LONG AS they have money to buy other food. It's really sad that some still have that kind of mentality (and overstockpiling rice).

[IronMac]

86 bags of those 8 kg bags is nothing! Now, if you're talking the 40 kg ones, then, that's serious.

My mother has gone out and purchased a few 8 kg bags but local stores are now all out. Shrug, personally, if I really wanted to hoard, I'd buy more than the two 40 kg bags that I normally buy every few months. :)

As for rice being the new oil, close enough...the Thais are thinking about setting up a rice cartel!

[thelefteyeguy]

so far...prices have not affected rice for me...TnT has not changed their prices...infact it was on sale :|

[4flava]

86 bags of those 8 kg bags is nothing! Now, if you're talking the 40 kg ones, then, that's serious.

My mother has gone out and purchased a few 8 kg bags but local stores are now all out. Shrug, personally, if I really wanted to hoard, I'd buy more than the two 40 kg bags that I normally buy every few months. :)

As for rice being the new oil, close enough...the Thais are thinking about setting up a rice cartel!

Apparantly Loblaws/RCSS has the Rooster brand Jasmine Thai rice for $7.48for the 8 kg bags... that's a good price right now for Thai Jasmine rice and so far my parents have been buying in 20 bags - 30 bag lots... no limits so far.

I don't encourage my parents to do all this hoarding.. I personally think it's a lil overboard but to them(their generation) nothing compares to rice and it does make sense to me that it's way better to buy cheap now rather to buy expensive later which right seems like the inevitable.

I live in R.Hill.. we have huge basements here so today the count is at 124 bags.. I think that'll last us for a while..LOL

[profguy]

Apparantly Loblaws/RCSS has the Rooster brand Jasmine Thai rice for $7.48for the 8 kg bags... that's a good price right now for Thai Jasmine rice and so far my parents have been buying in 20 bags - 30 bag lots... no limits so far.

I don't encourage my parents to do all this hoarding.. I personally think it's a lil overboard but to them(their generation) nothing compares to rice and it does make sense to me that it's way better to buy cheap now rather to buy expensive later which right seems like the inevitable.

I live in R.Hill.. we have huge basements here so today the count is at 124 bags.. I think that'll last us for a while..LOL

I hope your 124 bags will go bad before you get through them all - so much for hoarding.

[4flava]

I hope your 124 bags will go bad before you get through them all - so much for hoarding.

I personally think all your hair would fall out before the rice would go bad...or maybe it has already.

[teknoluv]

86 bags of those 8 kg bags is nothing! Now, if you're talking the 40 kg ones, then, that's serious.
I almost forget that some people actually eat like 3 - 4 bowls of rice per meal. Can't compare with those "rice buckets" LOL!

I hope your 124 bags will go bad before you get through them all - so much for hoarding.
No need to troll. 4flava already mentioned that he does NOT endorse the hoarding. But you've got to understand the old school mentality of his parents. And you don't tell your parents what to do, esp. when you're a teenager.

[Muncher]

Seriously though, are all kinds of rice sold out at the supermarkets, or only the basmati and jasmine ones? I like parboiled myself, but obviously Ben's is too expensive .....

[thelefteyeguy]

Seriously though, are all kinds of rice sold out at the supermarkets, or only the basmati and jasmine ones? I like parboiled myself, but obviously Ben's is too expensive .....

no...so far i've found it to be media hype

[profguy]

I personally think all your hair would fall out before the rice would go bad...or maybe it has already.

I feel sorry for anyone that has gotten suckered into the hype. You guys will be eating your bags of rice for years.

How many bags a month do you consume - even 2 bags a month will take you 5 years - good luck.

[profguy]

I almost forget that some people actually eat like 3 - 4 bowls of rice per meal. Can't compare with those "rice buckets" LOL!


No need to troll. 4flava already mentioned that he does NOT endorse the hoarding. But you've got to understand the old school mentality of his parents. And you don't tell your parents what to do, esp. when you're a teenager.

You've missed the point. This is Canada, there is all kinds of food and plenty of rice. Maybe prices have gone along with other foods but in reality only very slight but nothing like energy prices.

I feel sorry for those that have fallen for the hype - me, I'll take my chances and buy my rice as I need it.:cheesygri

[4flava]

I feel sorry for anyone that has gotten suckered into the hype. You guys will be eating your bags of rice for years.

How many bags a month do you consume - even 2 bags a month will take you 5 years - good luck.

So what???... I'm Chinese and we'll be eatting rice all our life, don't you get it?.. it can take us 10 yrs for all I care and plus old rice taste better.

[4flava]

You've missed the point. This is Canada, there is all kinds of food and plenty of rice. Maybe prices have gone along with other foods but in reality only very slight but nothing like energy prices.

I feel sorry for those that have fallen for the hype - me, I'll take my chances and buy my rice as I need it.:cheesygri

Yes, this is Canada but we do not produce rice so why not buy cheap when it's cheap?? We're saving money in the long run and that's the point of me being on rfd. :D

[moebius]

Yes, this is Canada but we do not produce rice so why not buy cheap when it's cheap?? We're saving money in the long run and that's the point of me being on rfd. :D

Actually it could be that you are not saving money at all. Say instead of buying rice for $1000 or whatever you paid for those 200 bags, you invest that money, most likely you'd had more money than by buying that much rice. Not to mention that your rice may(will) go bad or infested by bugs(which are inside). Unless you are a rice trader, no point in hoarding rice.

[4flava]

Actually it could be that you are not saving money at all. Say instead of buying rice for $1000 or whatever you paid for those 200 bags, you invest that money, most likely you'd had more money than by buying that much rice. Not to mention that your rice may(will) go bad or infested by bugs(which are inside). Unless you are a rice trader, no point in hoarding rice.

Yes, I understand the fact... if it was me, I wouldn't be hoarding the rice.

I have alot of money invested in stocks and I can surely tell you that you can easily lose money in investments too.

anyways enough of this.. surely my parents can do whatever they want with their money..lol.

[Aznkid2000]

so are prices for rice gonna rise?!??

[ZenOps]

Just came back from SuperStore Shawnessy Calgary.

There were only two varieties of rice left on the shelves... So it may not even be a matter of shortage - but if you can buy it at any price. Not quite as bad as trying to get a PS/2 in the first months of its release, but this is food afterall.

[M@rk]

So what???... I'm Chinese and we'll be eatting rice all our life, don't you get it?.. it can take us 10 yrs for all I care and plus old rice taste better.

... I don't think you can eat 124 bags of rice in a lifetime unless it's a HUGE family. You might be inheriting some rice!

[gman]

I personally think all your hair would fall out before the rice would go bad...or maybe it has already.

So what???... I'm Chinese and we'll be eatting rice all our life, don't you get it?.. it can take us 10 yrs for all I care and plus old rice taste better.

Actually, rice can go bad especially you put that in the basement. Even with proper storage, I don't think you can keep that for 5 years. Rice can break down on its own over time.

I once misplaced a bag of rice and did not find it after 2 years. The colour changed and each piece of rice was smaller because it broke up.

[ZenOps]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7284196.stm

Just for reference.

[sfu_lifer]

so are prices for rice gonna rise?!??

It's already risen in many parts of asia.

[teknoluv]

... I don't think you can eat 124 bags of rice in a lifetime unless it's a HUGE family. You might be inheriting some rice!
FYI: A family of 4 can easily consume a 8kg bag in a month or even less.

[moebius]

no you can't do anything you want with your money. in many parts of the world they are restricting idiots from hoarding tons of rice, because it only multiplies the problem. if i have money doesn't mean i can just buy rice and throw it away. at least it's not moral thing to do. and the government are cracking down on this as well. you can do anything you want with your money, until it affects other people. in this case it does...

[IronMac]

My Mom is visiting and if she wants to walk around hauling bags of rice that's her business and her money. I think she just wants to make sure to get the stuff at the current price rather than after it rises. She's stopped after the price went up! :D

As for eating over a hundred bags of rice...hey, this "rice bucket" says bring it on!

[Muncher]

At NoFrills, the American long grain price has risen from $6.97 to $8.90, and the Jasmine rice has risen from $8.99 to $12.99. This is in Markham of course. Maybe should trek somewhere where there's no Asians!

I bought all of the ones I found for $8.90. When I asked the cashier if they were hiding all the rice, she just smirked. Wonder if the supermarkets are taking advantage?