7 Produce Items Shoppers Say Are Suddenly Too Pricey
Grocery prices are up across the board, and shoppers are feeling the bite, especially when it comes to fresh produce. A combination of tariffs, inflation, bad weather, and other factors have resulted in sky-high prices for staple items, and food prices will rise 3.4% in the short-run and stay 2.5% higher in the long-run according to estimates from Yale University’s Budget Lab. While meat, seafood, and coffee are up in price, so are staple fruits and vegetables. Here are seven produce items shoppers say are suddenly too pricey.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are up a whopping 4.5% compared to last month, thanks in part to tariffs. “I give it three months, and then we go bankrupt,” Teresa Razo, owner of two Argentine-Italian restaurants in Southern California, told CNN. “Somebody that would dine out three times a week, maybe now they’ll do it once or twice because we have to increase our prices.”
Bananas
Bananas are up 6.6% compared to the month before. Trader Joe’s raised the prices of their bananas for the first time in 25 years (from 19 cents to 23 cents). “Bananas are one of those commodities that have always been incredibly underpriced. I was surprised it held up for this long at all. Even during the Covid years,” one shopper said.
Apples
Apple prices are up 9.6% compared to last year. “It’s been one of our go to cheaper fruits year round to keep the fruit basket full, and currently it’s starting to get harder and harder to keep fruits in stock,” one shopper said. “I usually aim for produce over processed foods especially for snacks, but that part of my grocery bill is starting to make me cringe lately.”
Lettuce
Lettuce has gone up 3.5% compared to last month. “In Irvine, CA, both Ralph’s and Albertsons have raised iceberg lettuce prices by $.80 to $1.00 in the last 10 days,” one Redditor said. “Noticed that today here as well. $2.49 a head at the local Kroger. Told my wife this much for lettuce 🥬,” another commented.
Oranges
Oranges and tangerines are up 5.2% compared to last year. “The citrus industry is in a tight spot, and the price of orange juice tells an even bigger story about climate, disease and the fragility of our food systems,” Valeria Nyman, Chief Product Officer for Taim.io, told Reader’s Digest.
Potatoes
Potatoes are up 2.2% compared to last year.”This could be the impact of tariffs,” David Ortega, a food economist at Michigan State University, told ABC News about the spike in produce prices. “But it could be a whole host of things.”
Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits overall are up 3.1% compared to last year. “Former grocery produce buyer here. This price increase is predictable considering the last 8 months of economic chaos. If you are paying x amount for an imported item and a domestic item costs less; the grower and the distributor are going to raise the price. Why should they lose money if the demand is there? Every part of their business has had added costs. They will not eat this. They are in this to make a profit,” one Redditor said.
