The impact of tariffs on your grocery bill

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the cost of food has risen 2.9 percent in the last 12 months, following several years of rapid increases in cost and many worry that new tariffs will further drive up costs.

Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy for the Consumer Federation of America, shared that “32 percent of fresh vegetables, 55 percent of fresh fruit, and 94 percent of seafood” consumed in the U.S. are imported. He is concerned about the impact of tariffs on the cost of groceries.

“It’s quite likely that they will be impacted,” Gremillion said. ‘The tariffs are a 10 percent tax on all imported products. 15 percent of the food that we eat, is imported. It might not go up by 10 percent exactly, but that’s a big tax increase.”

Gremillion pointed out that much of U.S. food imports are healthy foods.

“It’s healthy foods!!” he said. “In a lot of respects and, making those, those foods more expensive is going to, compromise some American’s diets.”

To help save money he recommended shoppers focus on strategies like using coupons and comparing prices between stores.

“Paying attention to the price in different stores. Making a list! And sticking to it.,” he noted. “Maybe you go to one store because you know they sell the yogurt and apples there at a cheaper price. Make a list before hand and armor yourself against the marketing apparatus. The food industry is pointing at you when you’re going to that store. Understand that there are people making a lot of people making money for you to make an impulsive decision in the supermarket.

Still, Gremillion urged shoppers to prioritize healthy options, even if it means paying a bit more.

“Invest in your health! It will maybe be a little more painful! But don’t scamp and go for the ultra-processed food and compromise your health so readily,” he pleaded.

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