In a light, yet serious op-ed on the increase in food prices, Yeshiva World used potato kugel, a pudding-like dish made with grated or pureed potatoes, onions, eggs, flour, and other ingredients, to examine food prices. It seems that there are four major factors that have contributed to the “potato kugel crisis,” Labor, along with the costs of three ingredients–eggs, vegetable oil, and potatoes have made potato kugel a costly dish.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, more than almost any other commodity, vegetable oil prices have skyrocketed. (See the IFPRI blog post, The impact of the Ukraine crisis on the vegetable oil market) The cost of a 3-liter container now hovers between $13 and $19. IFPRI states that supply tightened prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine due to drought in South America, a typhoon in Malaysia, and labor shortages due to restrictions on mobility during the pandemic.