This article from NBC has a misleading headline. At first it seems pathetically funny: Woman Sues Kellogg…for Strawberry Pop-Tarts Not Having Enough Strawberries.

Sounds a bit like the dude who called 911 when Subway put mustard on his hoagie.

But it’s actually not very funny at all and it turns out, strawberries aren’t the only fruit in strawberry Pop-Tarts.

Look, I’m not usually one to eat the damn things, and I never stopped to think about what’s in them. I thought strawberry Pop-Tarts were filled with HFCS-sweetened strawberry jam. Not the least bit nutritious, bad for you in every way, but (I) assumed that folks pretty well knew what they were getting. As a kid, I’d wolf those things down. Never thought about what’s inside one.

Indeed, way back then, chances were, you got what you paid for. Muckrakers would occasionally make the news, but usually a company considered its standing with consumers.

Or so I was taught in some dipshit history class.

The Truth is, and has been, much more complicated. And not just because of misleading labeling and advertising. Food allergies and food poisoning kill a lot of people every year. According to the CDC, over 100,000 people in the U.S. are so affected annually, over 40,000 are sick enough to require hospital care, and 3,000 will die.

Three thousand people is way too many. Some eat foods that have spoiled; that’s always going to happen. But bacterial, viral and parasitic cases are frightening when a consumer is innocent, has every reason to trust a brand name, yet is made sick. And allergies to some foods? Bigger problem than you think. I say it’s inexcusable.

But what of the Roundup weedkiller scandal? Expressed atomically, (C₃H₈NO₅P) it is a phosphonate, commonly known as a capable defoliant for broadleaf plants which inhibit crop growth and survival. Since 1974 saw its approval for agricultural use, it has been around for decades. Currently it is still FDA approved and it has a non-carcinogenic status. However, one or two sources state that sales to average homeowners will cease in 2023. Bayer, which bought the brand, is, it’s claimed, going to lose money on its deal. But 2023 gives plenty of time for billions in retail sales, so the claim doesn’t hold much weight.

The suits alleged that frequent use of the herbicide caused cancer. Some have settled. Bayer/Monsanto won a trial but settled with others, presumably to cut litigation costs.

In this excellent blog post by the Sokolove Law firm, posted in 2019, it’s stated that residual chemicals from Roundup are found almost everywhere, alarmingly including infant formula. It’s in the air. Drinking water. Often found in our urine, and our bodies do not produce any such thing. It has to be ingested or breathed. Non-Hodkins lymphoma is nothing anyone should ever be nonchalant about. NHL can be treated and a five-year survival rate can be attained, depending on where it is and what stage it’s in, and you can find symptoms and information on the American Cancer Society page.

That’s merely one small part of the foods we eat. As you can see from the Sokolove blog, if you’re shopping for anything, always look for labels that say certified organic. Lots of labels that simply read “Organic” are anything but that, and the FDA is never on our side. Because the administration is always understaffed and underfunded, it cannot possibly be diligent; nor is it remotely immune to bribes and other types of corruption. The CSB is also overwhelmed but reliable; if they issue a warning, heed it.

Over the past decade I have seen another problem with grocery items. You may pay a similar price for your usual size and brand but it’s deceiving: there’s less in it. Lately some products such as jelly, juice and others have more water in them. A can of chunk light tuna absolutely has more water; when drained, it’s impossible to miss. The ounce size may remain the same, but see for yourself. In the 1970s if you opened a can of Starkist, you had plenty for two big sandwiches. No longer, and what’s worse is that the meat reeks like catfood. Tuna never smelled like that before. It wasn’t ever the most aromatically pleasing food, but the tuna now is pungent. If I buy tuna, it’s solid white albacore.

If you are still getting the same amount and quality you have come to expect, then you’re definitely paying far more for it. And the retail jumps have not always been subtle; I’ve seen increases amounting to over a dollar in mere months following a smaller increase. And that will get much, much worse.

Hershey marketed a chocolate bar that had air bubbles in it, giving the buyer less chocolate and blatantly extolling what a great idea it was!

Tricks dirty, sneaky and blatant are never beneath any food producer. As inflation grows worse, on a path to eclipse anything we’ve ever seen, dirtier tricks will be used. Advertising is the business of cutthroats, bullshit their product. False advertising suits don’t concern megacorporations that broke the monopoly barrier when nobody was looking. They pay off a negotiated amount and simply change their methods; the deceit remains. You know how appetizing those burger commercials are? How about when the burger is plastic and the mayonnaise Elmer’s glue? Have you ever been served a Big Mac that looked like the pictures? Madison Avenue is no longer the hub of advertisers but the name remains as a epithet; derogatory and signifying dishonesty and legalized corruption.

Next on the food list we have to research inflation more closely. A nominal income is a paycheck, the amount of currency a household gets. It never rises as fast as, or even with, consumer prices. Never. Your boss may raise your salary or hourly rate if you are not in a union any time he or she desires. Which isn’t much and isn’t often. Sticky amounts, or contracted pay rates such as those negotiated by a union and an employer, are more difficult to change and take longer, since contracts last multiple years in most cases. The worst part is that conservative politicians have been busting unions. Ever since Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers, it has been understood that unions have lost a lot of their muscle.

When a contract offer is voted on by union members and rejected, the workers are essentially on strike when their current contract expires. What happens then is something called various things depending on circumstances. Either further negotiations, collective bargaining, working without a contract, arbitration or a walkout occurs. What’s being argued is more than benefits. What concerns everyone voting is a cost of living increase. Inflation is the reason for that. Every time a consumer has to pay more for any given item, his or her buying power is decreased: they simply cannot afford everything they need. This goes for everything from gasoline, heating oil or natural gas, electricity costs, general home maintenance and repair, right down to a loaf of bread.

When prices increase as they are now due to an interruption, producers will make attempts to slow inflation. This interruption has been a global pandemic, natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, and years of drought in the west. All compounded even now, as workers quit their jobs for lack of adequate pay, compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations and politics.

What will come of it is highly unpredictable except for the broad sense: prices will rise dramatically, quality will fall, supply will fall short. If you get a bag of groceries today for $50.00, you will be lucky to get everything in that bag for almost twice as much by spring, early summer at the latest. Remember, we can’t focus on a single product. Especially commodities traded daily. The total cost of living your life is what we’re talking about. And I can only assure you that it will become a bitter subject in the months ahead. Remember the Ever Giving getting stuck in the Suez Canal? Sauce for the goose. Another contribution to supply and costs.

Some tricks will be used to help defray retail stress. Juices will get more water. Grated cheeses may get more wood pulp added. Containers of ice cream will be smaller. Everyone who sells merchandise will want to stay competitive; otherwise they go out of business. Essential items must be bought, others may be left on the shelves. Look at labels and pay attention to every word and number. Keep a list of essentials, their size, contents and costs. Then watch TV and sit back and wait for the bullshit to fly.

Speaking of shit, be careful with imported produce. Some countries fertilize crops with human excrement. Yes, yes, it’s worse than cow manure. Certified organic. Please.

A lawsuit over strawberry Pop-Tarts is seemingly frivolous at first glance. I assure you, it isn’t. Stay vigilant.