Overview
- A Saturday Associated Press report said food-at-home prices are about 33% higher since early 2019, marking the steepest increase in roughly half a century.
- Meat costs have risen most sharply, with Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing ground beef at $6.82 a pound in June, about 79% above early-2019 levels.
- Shoppers across cities are clipping coupons, comparing stores, choosing store brands and skipping favored foods to stretch budgets.
- Many households have increased use of SNAP benefits and food banks, and some families report cutting meals or switching to cheaper proteins like chicken and cold cuts.
- Reporters and analysts trace the surge to layered supply shocks — pandemic-era disruptions, extreme weather and disease, tariffs, and recent Middle East-linked fuel and shipping disruptions — a trend that has made food affordability a major political issue before the fall midterms.