Whether making bread for a living or merely shopping for it at the supermarket, Vermonters are feeling the brunt of sharply rising prices for grains and other food products.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says food prices were up 4 percent in 2007 the largest jump in nearly two decades, after rising 2.4 percent in both 2005 and 2006.
Price increases are being felt at the wholesale level as well.
Paul Manghi, owner of Manghi’s Bread in Montpelier, said he had been forced to raise his wholesale prices by 11 percent because of the rising cost for ingredients.