Source: AFP
“I don’t grocery shop as often as I used to,” Jasmine Reed, 32, said outside a store in northern Virginia as she explained the impact of higher food prices on her shopping habits.
Consumer inflation data released on Thursday showed food prices rose 2.2% in the 12 months to April – masking some stark differences between items.
Eggs have plummeted nine percent, according to Labor Department data, while the cost of butter has jumped 3.5 percent. Milk prices have also fallen by more than one percent and the cost of bread has risen.
Inflation and the cost of staples like food and gas will likely play a major role in November’s presidential race between Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump, as both candidates seek to tout their economic credentials in office. .
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Outside a grocery store in Falls Church, Virginia, on Friday, shoppers told AFP they had noticed an increase in the cost of everyday items in recent years – forcing some to change their shopping habits.
“If groceries were cheaper, then I would definitely cook more,” said Reed, who says she now eats out a lot more.
“It’s the same for me, so I’d rather not waste time cooking,” added Reid, who works as a teacher in nearby Fairfax.
“It’s all very inflated”
“I keep hearing that things are falling, but I haven’t seen it,” Mary Jo, 66, told AFP.
“Things in general have been expensive for a while now,” said Gavi, a professional DJ and former U.S. Marine Corps employee who declined to give his last name.
Gavi, who is vegan, says he has seen his weekly shop double, from about $100 a week to $200.
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“I don’t really look at whether it’s bread, sugar or milk,” he added. “I just see that it’s all very inflated.”
For former engineer James Russell, also 66, higher fruit and vegetable prices have changed what he buys and when.
“I see the prices keep going up 25 cents and 50 cents and nothing is easy on your pocket anymore,” added Russell, who lives nearby.
“I just go in there and just check the prices and get what I can get,” he said.
“Before I wouldn’t think about what I was putting in the basket,” added Mary Jo, who also lives in the area. “And now it’s like, do I really want this?”
Source: AFP