Food prices are going up, no wait they aren’t, yeah they are

According the U.S. Department of Labor, food costs have been rising an average of 5 percent per year. Low-calorie food options also have increased about 19.5 cents per year, according to a report by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

An easy way to eat healthy and keep grocery costs down is to focus on vegetables and fruits, said Robert Murray, a faculty member at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Buying frozen or canned food can save money. And, since preservation methods have improved dramatically, the nutritional quality of canned and frozen foods are higher today as well, he said.

Murray also warned that organic foods are not necessarily more nutritional.

“Concerns about hormones, antibiotics or pesticides have driven many to choose organic foods,” he said. “But don’t be fooled into thinking that because something is labeled organic that it is any healthier.”

Many of you splurged on fancy foods for holiday dinners and parties, but you may want to keep an eye on your wallet as you go into the new year. Food prices are going up. Some economists are predicting that food prices will go up between 7 and 9 percent in 2009. They say don’t count on the cost of food plunging like gasoline prices did.

John Lincoln is a dairy farmer in Bloomfield. He’s seen the price of milk rise and fall recently. And it may be the same for food in general as well. His costs have risen substantially. But though some costs have dropped, he is locked into production prices when they were higher.

But the news isn’t all bad…

Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets cut prices on thousands of items for 90 days at its 155 stores.

“With consumer confidence at an all-time low and the poor economy, we know that our customers are looking for long-term ways to save money,” said Weis Markets President David Hepfinger.

Whole Foods, longing to shed the “Whole Paycheck” nickname, just issued its latest Whole Deal circular that includes tips such as how much different types of grains cost per serving. There are coupons too, for basics like frozen pizza and vitamins.

It isn’t just a U.S. phenomenon. Wal-Mart’s Asda, the No. 2 supermarket in Britain, is cutting prices on at least 1,000 items. Asda said it is selling 200 health and beauty products like shampoo and deodorant and 100 frozen food items for 1 pound ($1.46) each.

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