Americans Rework Grocery Habits as Food Prices Jump 33% to 50-Year High
Updated
Updated · KATU · Jul 28
Americans Rework Grocery Habits as Food Prices Jump 33% to 50-Year High
3 articles · Updated · KATU · Jul 28
Summary
33% higher grocery prices since 2019 are pushing Americans to build meals around sales, compare stores, switch to generic brands and cut back on meat, snacks and other staples.
Ground beef at $6.82 a pound in June—up 79% from early 2019—has become a symbol of the squeeze, with families in Texas and elsewhere treating beef as a luxury or dropping it entirely.
Pandemic supply snarls, higher labor and transport costs, drought, bird flu, tariffs, the Ukraine war and a fresh Middle East conflict have all fed the surge, with regional food inflation still running from 2% in St. Louis to 6% in San Francisco.
Lower-income households are hit hardest: Americans spent 12.9% of pretax income on food in 2024 on average, versus 33% for the poorest fifth, while SNAP enrollment fell 12% year over year to 37 million after tighter eligibility rules.
Wages have risen slightly faster than grocery costs since 2019, but higher housing and utility bills mean food affordability remains a potent voter issue heading into the fall midterm elections.