Extreme Weather Events Impact Chia and Oats

Groceries are getting more expensive

It’s impossible to avoid the presence of inflation in our lives, especially at the grocery store. Food prices rose 6.3% in December 2021, the largest increase since 2008. There are a number of factors contributing to higher food prices including labor shortages, port congestion, and the increased cost of sea freight. A less well known but no less dramatic price increase is impacting chia seeds and oats. Two extreme weather events in different hemispheres conspired to cut the supply of chia seeds and oats. These events demonstrate the risk that climate change presents to our interconnected food supply.

Cold snap cuts chia seed harvest in half
At the end of June 2021, an unlikely cold spell throughout South America destroyed 50% of 2021’s chia seed harvest. Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia were among the hardest hit countries. Those countries happen to provide about 50% of the world's chia seed supply, so global chia seed prices have increased dramatically in response to less supply. Chia seeds, already an expensive and coveted product, are now even harder to get and prices have risen by over 90% compared to 2021.

Droughts hit oat harvests
Oat harvests throughout the US and Canada have also been affected by extreme weather events. The major oat growing regions in the midwest of the US and the Canadian Prairies of Eastern Saskatchewan, dealt with persistent droughts through 2021.

US oat production is down by over 35%, the lowest yield year since 1866. Limited supply and increased demand (mostly because of the global demand for oat based milks) mean prices are about 15% higher in 2022 than they were in 2021.

Brave is staying the same price for now
Brave is trying to hold our prices as they are now in the face of these changes. It’s an unsteady world out there and we want to continue to be your choice at breakfast and other times of the day. Please know that Brave and our suppliers are doing all we can to deliver you a premium product at a reasonable price.

The best way to support Brave is to tell your friends about us. You’ll even earn $10 off your next purchase when you do. Click here to get going with our Give $10, Get $10 program.