During the height of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt calmed a tense nation with his weekly fireside chats.

The United States isn’t in a recession, much less a depression, these days. But as we reported in Saturday’s edition, inflation’s effect on food prices is putting a serious crimp on those struggling to make ends meet. And tonight, as former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden hold their first presidential debate before November’s election, it would be a good time for a kitchen table talk.

Frankly, it’s time for a talk about how Americans can more economically put food on their table.

The latest Map The Meal Gap study by FeedMore WNY, which only covers through 2022, shows the percentage of food insecure Chautauqua County residents has increased to 15%, higher than the state average of 13.4%, while FeedMore’s coverage area has seen a 24% increase in users from 2022 to 2023.

That stands to reason.

The U.S. The Agriculture Department reports that from 2019 to 2023, the all-food Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 25% percent–a higher increase than the all-items CPI, which grew 19.2% over the same period. Food price increases were less than the 27.1% percent increase in transportation costs, but did increase faster than housing, medical care, and all other major categories. Food price increases in 2020-21 were largely driven by shifting consumption patterns and supply chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, food prices increased faster than any year since 1979, partly due to a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak that affected egg and poultry prices and the conflict in Ukraine which compounded other economy-wide inflationary pressures such as high energy costs.

Food price growth slowed in 2023 as wholesale food prices and these other inflationary factors eased from 2022 – but the cumulative effect of the past four years of inflation have left food prices much higher than if prices had increased at normal rates.

People are noticing. Nearly half of Americans report that the recent spike in inflation is making it harder to make ends meet, according to a Monmouth University released June 19 showing 46% of Americans are “currently struggling to remain where they are financially.” In prior polls from 2017 through 2021, the sentiment was between 20% and 29%. In May, 54% of younger Americans polled as part of a CNBC/Generation Lab survey said rising food costs have hit them the hardest. Nearly 80% of respondents in a new WalletHub survey said food inflation is worse than high gas prices.

The nation is speaking about the issues it is collectively concerned about. We’ll know by the end of tonight if the presidential candidates are listening to us.