What drives up the price of groceries [Video]

Lots of energy is needed to produce large quantities of food

Growing food requires energy. Farmers use equipment that runs on diesel fuel or gasoline when they plant and harvest crops. The fertilizers that farmers use to improve their crop yields also require energy to produce. Fertilizers are made of materials like potash, which is mined. They help farmers grow more food on less land, but also make agriculture energy intensive. Agricultural products also need to travel to food processing facilities and grocery stores. The trucks, trains, ships and planes that transport these products all require fuel.

So, when energy prices go up, so too can food prices. Farmers, fertilizer producers and transportation companies all have to pay more for fuel. That makes it more expensive to take food from the fields and get it to grocery store shelves. These costs may be passed on to consumers and can contribute …