Let’s be honest, liberals tend to reject survivalism mainly because they are ideologically invested in the idea that a large government will always provide for them in times of need. That has changed slightly in recent years but in lefty strongholds like San Francisco the idea that a combination of extreme cold (when the assumed it was getting warmer) bad government policies and increased foreign demand for food would have definite effects on their lives was not accepted by the vast majority.

Until now:

For the first time since 2008, inflation is hitting consumers in the stomach.

Grocery prices grew by more than 1 1/2 times the overall rate of inflation this year, outpaced only by costs of transportation and medical care, according to numbers released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economists predict that this is only the beginning. Fueled by the higher costs of wheat, sugar, corn, soybeans and energy, shoppers could see as much as a 4 percent increase at the supermarket checkout next year.

“I noticed just this month that my grocery bill for the same old stuff – cereal, eggs, milk, orange juice, peanut butter, bread – spiked $25,” said Sue Perry, deputy editor of ShopSmart magazine, a nonprofit publication from Consumer Reports. “It was a bit of sticker shock.”

But it makes sense. Since November 2009, meat, poultry, fish and eggs have surged 5.8 percent in price. Dairy and related products have gone up 3.8 percent; fats and oils, 3 percent; and sugar and sweets, 1.2 percent.

While overall inflation nationwide was 1.1 percent, grocery prices went up 1.7 percent nationally and 1.3 percent in the Bay Area, said Todd Johnson, an economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics office in San Francisco. “The largest effects on grocery prices here over the last month were tomatoes, followed by eggs, fish and seafood.”

If the author hasn’t seen food inflation since 2008 she’s living in a dream world … called liberalism. But even the most cheery Obamunist is seeing that ham fisted environmental policies and anti-business practices has real world consequences. At this point, those consequences can’t be avoided. Thanks lefties!