According to an expert, giant companies are using inflation, the pandemic and the supply chain crisis to line their own pockets by raising the prices of everyday goods.

Multinational companies like PepsiCo have reportedly increased the cost of popular products while increasing their profits by millions of dollars.

Activists say some companies are using real economic problems as an “excuse” to raise prices more than necessary.

Average US grocery prices increased 11.2 percent from September 2021 to September 2022.

Cereals and baked goods are up 16.2% over the period; Meat, poultry, fish and eggs are 9% more expensive; and dairy products are 10.4% more expensive.

Kyle Herrig said big companies don’t have to raise prices so high for families in trouble.

As food inflation rages, giant corporations are accused of raising prices while making handsome profits

A bag of chips at the grocery store now averages $6.05, up $1 from last year

PepsiCo is among several companies raising prices while increasing profits by millions of dollars

In practice, a bag of chips at the grocery store now averages $6.05, up $1 from last year.

A dozen eggs costs an average of $2.90, compared to $1.83 a year ago.

The price of a two-liter bottle of soda rose 49 cents to $2.17.

But some companies that have raised prices are posting handsome profits, prompting complaints that consumers are being ripped off.

Kyle Herrig, president of the Accountable.Us advocacy group, told the New York Times, “Recent earnings calls have only reinforced the familiar and unwelcome theme that companies didn’t have to hike their prices as high for families in need.

“The calls tell us that companies have used inflation, the pandemic and supply chain challenges as an excuse to overstate their own costs and then consumers of nickels and cents.”

PepsiCo’s prices for drinks and chips rose 17 percent last quarter compared to the same period last year, the Times reported.

Runaway inflation has left millions of Americans stressed and worried about the future

And its profit for the third quarter of 2022 grew by more than 20 percent.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has also raised prices, saying some items will be nearly 15 percent more expensive by the end of 2022 than they were last year.

The company’s profit for the most recent quarter was $257.1 million, up 26 percent year-on-year.

The problem of food inflation was highlighted over Halloween weekend with figures showing the price of some sweets rose by almost half.

Amid cost pressures that experts say are turning people to junk food, individual candy prices are rising, with Mars’ Skittles up a whopping 42 percent and Starburst up 35 percent, according to Datasembly.

Crunch Bars and Butterfingers made more modest price increases of seven and six percent, respectively. Average candy bar costs are up 13 percent, according to the Labor Department.

Only Hershey seems to have been immune to the creepy prices, as she hasn’t changed the cost of a candy bar since inflation began.

According to the National Retail Foundation, Americans will spend a total of $10.6 billion on Halloween candy in 2022. For comparison: Americans spent $10.1 billion last year.

Soaring food inflation was highlighted by the date showing the rising cost of candy on Halloween

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 6.6% in September

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont criticized the price hikes, tweeting last week, “While the cost of Halloween candy has increased more than 13.1% since last September, the Mars candy bar family has grown 44% richer and increased during the pandemic her wealth by $32.6 billion.

“The Mars family is now worth $106.8 billion. Do you know what scary is? corporate greed.’

Half of Americans say runaway inflation and the high cost of living are taking a toll on their health as millions turn to alcohol, junk food and quit smoking as worries about electric and gas bills mount this winter.

A recent forecast by Bloomberg says there is a 100% chance that the US economy will plunge into recession within the next year. Previously, economists had only estimated a recession probability of 60 percent.

Year-over-year data for August shows rising gas costs and the highest inflation in 40 years

“As we move further into the cost-of-living crisis, the impact is starting to show,” said Matt Booth, a researcher on the survey.

“It’s affecting everything from our personal health to planning our grocery shopping to savings to save money.”

Nearly three-quarters of Americans said they were concerned about rising costs for electricity and gas, the survey found, as consumers faced sharp hikes in the price of heating oil, propane and other fuels in the coming colder months.

Almost two-thirds of respondents said the energy crisis and rising cost of living are affecting their spending plans.

With Tropical Storm Lisa forming in the southern Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line has decided to cancel Carnival Vista’s port visit in Belize City, Belize on Wednesday, April 2nd.

The storm is likely to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall, and other cruise lines in the area are also on alert or planning itinerary changes as well.

Carnival Vista drops port of call

Due to the tropical storm Carnival vista has changed its flight schedule and will no longer call at Belize City on Wednesday, November 2nd from 8am to 5pm as planned in the original itinerary. Instead, guests on board report that the ship will have another day at sea.

Carnival Vista is currently embarking on a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston after departing Texas on Saturday 29th October. The ship has already spent two days at sea and will be in Roatan, Honduras on Tuesday, November 1st.

Wednesday was scheduled Belize City but will now be a day at sea. The ship should be visiting on Thursday Cozumel, Mexicothat is far enough north of the storm that port visiting should not be affected.

Another day at sea follows before the ship arrives back in Galveston on Saturday 5th November.

The 133,596 gross tonn Carnival Vista can welcome up to 3,934 guests at double occupancy and up to 4,977 passengers at full occupancy.

Tropical Storm Lisa forms

Tropical Storm Lisa began organizing on Sunday 30 October and quickly became an official tropical storm on Monday 31 October in the morning.

The storm’s current position is approximately 400 miles (644 kilometers) east of Belize City and 150 miles (241 kilometers) south-southwest of Grand Cayman, and is moving due west at 14 miles per hour (22 kilometers per hour).

Tropical Storm Lisa is not expected to change course dramatically, but will continue west until making landfall in Belize late Wednesday night.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm’s maximum sustained winds will be 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), just 14 mph (22 km/h) below the threshold for a Category 1 hurricane.

Tropical Storm Lisa is likely to reach hurricane strength within the next 24 hours, but is unlikely to strengthen beyond a Category 1 storm as it will make landfall shortly after reaching hurricane status and thus lose its ability to continue to grow significantly strengthen.

storm effects

Tropical storm warnings are currently in place along much of the north coast of South America, from eastern Guatemala to the far northern tip of Nicaragua. This includes all of Honduras, and the offshore islands north of Honduras are under a hurricane warning.

The east coast of Belize is already under hurricane surveillance, which will change to a hurricane warning as the storm approaches.

The southern coast of Quintana Roo in Mexico is also warned of tropical storms, but no warnings are in effect as far north as Cozumel.

The storm is expected to be well away from coastal areas by the weekend and is likely to dissipate quickly once it makes landfall, and cruises making late-week or weekend visits to the region are unlikely to be impacted.

Still, it’s a good precaution for all cruise travelers with upcoming visits to Belize, Honduras or Cozumel to stay in close contact with their cruise line for up-to-date information and notifications of itinerary changes.

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on November 30th.

“The winners cannot be the left, who have always harmed the population,” Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday, November 1, two days after his defeat.

Jair Bolsonaro vowed Tuesday, November 1, to “respect the constitution as president” of Brazil after breaking his silence two days after his electoral defeat by left-wing leader Lula, whose victory he did not recognize. After a very short speech by Bolsonaro in the presidential palace, his chief of staff Ciro Nogueira indicated that he had “authorized the transition”.

“I’ve always played with the constitution”

In his speech, the ex-president first thanked “the 58 million Brazilians” who voted for him. If Jair Bolsonaro first reiterated that “winners don’t [pouvaient] not the left, who have always harmed the population,” he finally acknowledged his defeat with half a word. “I’ve always played with the constitution, I’ve always followed the rules, I’ve never deviated from it, and that’s what I will do as president of the Republic and as citizens continue to fulfill all the obligations of our constitution”, concluded the former head of state.