Prices just keep going up.
A recent Pew report considering the overall change in prices between January 2020 and June 2024 found that, on average, prices for many staples are up more than 45%.
- Margarine 56.8%
- Frozen juices/drinks 49.7%
- Other fats and oils 48.8
- Motor vehicle repair 47.5
- Motor vehicle insurance 47.3%
- Cracker products and bread 46.1%
- Uncooked beef roast 44.2%
- Eggs 40.1%
- Sugar and sugar substitutes 39.5%
- Uncooked other beef and veal 39.2%
Although some consumer goods and services have dropped in price over that same period, no food products have.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest Household Pulse Survey conducted in March, more than one out of 10 adults responded that they live in households where there was either “sometimes” or “often” not enough food to eat over the past week. In some states, such as Connecticut, the number was one out of eight.
Datasembly’s Grocery Price Index, which tracks prices in more than 150,000 stores nationwide, reports that grocery prices have risen more than a third since the pandemic, far outpacing wage growth.
It’s no wonder that a new poll found that 77% of Texans say it has gotten harder to afford groceries.
KUT News details the findings of the poll. Here’s the start of the story:
In a new poll, 77% of Texans say it has gotten harder to afford groceries over the last year, primarily because the cost of food is increasing more quickly than their income.
That’s up 4% from the last time this survey was conducted in 2023.
No Kid Hungry Texas, which works to end childhood hunger, released the findings Tuesday. Mia Medina, the nonprofit’s senior program manager, said families with school-aged children are being especially hard hit.
“More than half of public school families, about 51%, reported signs of food insecurity in the past 12 months due to cost,” she said. “In some households the pantry might be completely bare, while in others mom might be skipping meals so that the kids can eat.”
No Kid Hungry Texas commissioned Change Research to conduct the survey in late July. More than 1,100 people participated, about half of them parents.
The poll found 60% of families with kids in K-12 public schools said they had to decide between spending money on food or another essential over the last 12 months. More than a third of public school families, for example, said they had to choose whether to pay for groceries or a utility bill.