7 Foods Shoppers Are Stocking Up On Now Before Prices Spike

With tariffs starting to impact the price of many household items and food products, shoppers are stocking up on specific goods in the hopes they will be covered until the tariffs are lifted. Even items made in the United States will be affected by the trade war, as supply chains are disrupted and raw materials become more expensive to import. So which products are people bulk-buying before they get too expensive? Here are seven foods shoppers say they are stocking up on before prices get sky-high.

Coffee

Coffee is already expensive and could become even more so, as it's mostly imported into the U.S. from places such as South America. "You can buy vacuum blocks of coffee. They look like bricks. Will keep a very long time. You can keep regular ground coffee in the fridge. Keeps it fresh longer. Coffee beans will keep a very long time if kept dry. Instant coffee too," one Redditor suggested.

Canned Vegetables

One shopper said they are stockpiling canned goods. "I have my extra closet full of cans of tomatoes, beans, and veggies. I stocked up on tin foil and aluminum pans. I think anything with metal in it will go up," they explained. "Everything either has metal or is shipped in metal. Some US producers can switch to tetra packs ($$$$) or something. This is going to be very sad," another added.

Whole Spices

Image of two vintage spoons full of black peppercorn and allspice on rustic wooden cutting board — Shutterstock

The U.S. imports a significant amount of spices from countries like India and China. "Whole unground spices (black pepper, nutmeg, etc.). Also, bear in mind that immigrant markets generally have MUCH better spice prices than regular supermarkets," one shopper said.

Rice

Many shoppers are stocking up on rice. "We eat a lot of rice, so I just bought a bag at Costco and some Rancho Gordo beans. I learned how to make sourdough and bought flour at Costco," one shopper said. "I don't have a Costco membership but sometimes my husband will go to the Korean grocery store when he's in the area and buy the huge bags of Jasmine or basmati rice there," another commented.

Kerrygold Butter

Kerrygold Pure Irish Salted Butter — Kerrygold

Kerrygold butter is imported from Ireland, and shoppers are worried about price hikes. "My freezer has a bunch of Kerrygold butter from the wholesale club," one Redditor shared. "It's on sale at Costco right now. I've been grabbing a few boxes every time I go," another said. "It's already expensive and a splurge, but worth it, I am stocked up for the year, hahaha!" a third commented.

Canned Jalapenos and Hot Sauce

Consumers are worried about the impact tariffs will have on their favorite spicy foods. "Canned jalapenos and chilis. Even the Amazon brand ones are 'packaged in the US with chilis from Mexico,'" one shopper said. "Mexican hot sauces," another agreed.

Pet Food

Some shoppers are alarmed about the possible impact of tariffs on pet food. "Most pet food, unless it's complete and balanced with fruits and vegetables ($$$$$) gets the vitamins to balance it (vitamin packs) from China," one Redditor said. "It's the primary source. Also, cans, bags, labels etc but we could actually produce that here, just not in the volume of China. Empty bags and cans will be an issue. It's going to be a s$% show. Stock up if you have special needs animals or very picky animals. I don't care where your product says it's made, those vitamins most assuredly come from China."