Friday 20 July 2012

Effect of drought on food supply could spur freezer sales


The worst drought in a half century is sparking fears of food shortages, with 88 percent of corn and 87 percent of soybean crops nationwide now in drought-stricken regions, according to an analysis released Thursday by the United States Drought Monitor. The parched land could drive demand for freezers, as consumers look to stock up on foods that may see significant price hikes in coming months. Consumer Reports' freezer reviews contain three dozen recommended models from brands like Frigidaire, GE, and Kenmore, including several CR Best Buys that sell for between $300 and $600.

If you're shopping for a freezer, you first need to decide between a chest and upright model. Chest freezers cost less, plus they offer more useable space than uprights and they're less likely to cause freezer burn. But they're harder to organize than uprights, which have shelves and bins like what you see in a typical fridge.

Upright freezers also take up less floor space. And they give you the option of self-defrost, which eliminates the need to periodically thaw out the unit to prevent ice build up on the walls. Self-defrost freezers also did a better job of keeping their door shelves as cool as the rest of the freezer, which is important to extending the life of your frozen foods. That's why self-frost uprights do slightly better as a category than manual-defrost uprights, though our very highest-scoring models are all manual-defrost chests.

To find the right freezer for your needs, see our complete Ratings, and watch this brief buying guide video.


Via: Effect of drought on food supply could spur freezer sales

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