Title: Food Prices Eat Up School Lunch - TIME
Headings: Food Prices Eat Up School Lunch
Food Prices Eat Up School Lunch
Content: Many schools will try to pass along some of the cost increases to families already grappling with higher grocery bills. An additional 1.5 million Americans were receiving food stamps in March compared to a year earlier, according to the USDA. Meanwhile, America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest food-bank network, reported a 20% increase in the number of people seeking food aid this spring compared to a year ago. And this summer more parents have signed their kids up for camps that make use of free lunch programs. " More and more children are coming to child care hungry," said Paula James, director of the Contra Costa Child Care Council in California. And little relief is in sight. Soaring oil prices, massive amounts of farmland diverted into producing biofuels, and demand from developing countries such as China and India are just some of the factors behind the rising prices worldwide — none of which is easily overcome. U.S. consumers can expect the price of food to rise an additional 5.5% this year, USDA economist Ephraim Leibtag told Congress. " I think the price levels we're at now are not going to go down anytime soon," he added. And that means schools and families may face even tougher times down the road.