Americans Struggle With Supper Time Sticker Shock as Grocery Prices Soar to New High

Grocery store prices have surged over the past three years, according to new government numbers, dealing another blow to American households already struggling with the rising cost of living.Food items now cost 17.8 percent more than they did in January 2022, according to the new data. That means a grocery bill of $100 nearly four years ago was $117.78 in August 2025.Ground beef has emerged as one of the most dramatically affected items, now costing more than $6.60 per pound — an all-time high that represents a 30-cent increase from the previous month, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since President Trump took office, ground beef prices have surged nearly 19 percent, translating to more than $1 in additional costs for average shoppers.Milk prices have seen three consecutive months of increases, reaching $4.17 per gallon in August. That represents a 7-cent increase since President Biden left office and a 3 percent rise from the previous year.Bananas also have hit record territory — 67 cents per pound in August — with prices climbing more than 8 percent since the start of the year.Among the steepest price increases in other goods are for instant coffee, up by 4.9 percent, tomatoes, up 4.5 percent, and apples and lettuce, both rising in cost by 3.5 percent.The rising costs can be attributed to a confluence of factors beyond Mr. Trump’s new import tariffs. Regarding beef prices, the USDA said “the U.S. cattle inventory is the lowest it’s been in almost 75 years, and severe drought in parts of the country has further reduced the feed supply.”On bananas, most analysts say the price increases directly correlate with import taxes imposed by Mr. Trump on major banana suppliers, including 10 percent rates on imports from Guatemala and Honduras. For milk, reports say the bird flu affected dairy cows and reduced domestic production and caused the price hikes.Think you’ll just avoid the grocery store? Think again. The cost of food bought at restaurants or eateries has risen 3.9 percent over the past 12 months, according to federal data released last week. While many prices have climbed, some items have seen relief. Egg prices have dropped significantly from their winter and spring peaks, falling to $3.59 per dozen — about 13.5 percent less than December 2024 levels. However, the downward trend may reverse as bird flu cases begin rising again due to seasonal migration patterns.Other price decreases include those for peanut butter, down 1.7 percent, dried beans, down 3 percent, and canned ham, which has fallen as much as 5 percent. White bread has reached a nearly three-year low at $1.84 per pound.Meanwhile, inflation accelerated to 0.4 percent in August, with consumer prices running about 2.9 percent higher year-over-year. Energy costs have also climbed, with Americans paying more than 7 percent more for electricity than during the final month of the Biden administration — a difference that reaches roughly 17 percent year-over-year.Last month, wholesale prices rose at the fastest pace in three years, suggesting that retailers simply can’t continue to “eat the tariffs.” Companies are “coming to the point where their margins are getting squeezed, and they need to start passing that onto consumers,” the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Beth Hammack, told CBS News earlier this month.According to one report, American businesses ate more than half of the tariff costs through June, a recent analysis from Goldman Sachs economists found. Consumers, on the other hand, absorbed 22 percent. The Goldman economists say that’s about to end, and consumers’ share will rise to 67 percent over the coming months.Plus, there are signs that it’s all just the beginning. “Nearly 1 in 3 (30.9%) U.S. businesses expect they’ll charge higher prices in six months,” one recent study found. “Just 4.3% expect lower prices.”The situation is so bad that one federal lawmaker on Wednesday announced new legislation, known as the “No Tariffs on Groceries Act,” that calls for lower grocery prices.“We are in an affordability crisis,” Representative Haley Stevens said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. The Michigan Democrat said food prices in the state have soared, with coffee up 20.9 percent, beef up 6.6 percent, and eggs up 10.9 percent.“We are seeing right now, from these reckless tariffs, direct impacts on food costs. They are going up because of tariffs,” Ms. Stevens said, according to WLNS.

Americans Struggle With Supper Time Sticker Shock as Grocery Prices Soar to New High

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