WASHINGTON (September 14, 2009)—The Hand that Feeds U.S. added an important feature to its website today that allows consumers to see the amount of money farmers and ranchers receive from everyday items they purchase in the grocery store, like cereal, bread, fruits, and vegetables.

The new feature, titled "Farmer's Share," comes to The Hand that Feeds U.S. courtesy of the National Farmers Union (NFU), who first created the resource and updates the data monthly.

"The ever-increasing cost of production has left many farmers struggling to make ends meet," said Roger Johnson, president of NFU. "The Farmer's Share allows consumers to see what percentage of the retail price actually goes back to the farmers themselves-I can imagine a lot of shoppers would find it hard to believe there's only 8 cents worth of wheat in a $3.99 box of cereal."

In recent years, large food companies and big oil have misled the public by blaming farmers for increasing food prices, creating a false correlation between production agriculture and higher food costs.

"Such misperceptions are the reasons we produce the Farmer's Share," Johnson added. "Commodity prices have fallen, yet retail prices have largely remained the same, so clearly the farmers aren't the significant reason for price increases. The food companies have certainly been slow to pass the savings onto the consumer."

The Farmer's Share is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, and retail prices on the Safeway (SE) brand except where noted. It can be found on The Hand that Feeds U.S. website.

CONTACT: Samantha Succop 202-507-8327 - samantha@thehandthatfeedsus.org