# What food price increase most surprises you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039 "2025-07-18T13:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/1 "2025-07-18T13:38:18Z")
This morning my wife came home and said our usual coffee was going for $19 a can - which was more than she could bring herself to pay. So she went with a cheaper brand. Sometime before covid it was $9, so it has more than doubled in not too terribly long. I know EVERYTHING is getting more expensive, but that seemed a tad higher than most things. Anything in particular especially shock you in grocery prices? ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/2 "2025-07-18T13:41:59Z")
Are you surprised tariffs caused a price increase? Good luck finding coffee grown in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/3 "2025-07-18T13:44:43Z")
Um - the price increased began well before January. I had no expectation - and have no desire - that this innocuous little OP go political. Especially in the first freaking response. Strikes me as a bit of a threadshit. But if that is where the thread goes, I’ll just ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/4 "2025-07-18T13:47:37Z")
yeah, Covid started the big price increase on most goods, and the inflation that followed made sure they never came back to what they were. As for price increases that surprise me, I drink a lot of seltzer waters. You know, those flavored ones like Lacroix, etc. They went from approximately $3/case of 24 prior to covid to now about $10/case. This is for carbonated water with just the slightest flavoring added. No sugar, nothing. yet 3x the prior price. Astounding. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/5 "2025-07-18T14:50:32Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > This morning my wife came home and said our usual coffee was going for $19 a can Tell me you shop at Jewel without saying the word Jewel. Ok, pooooossibly Marianos. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/6 "2025-07-18T14:56:41Z")
I was taken aback recently to find that a brand of cranberry juice that I was used to buying had jumped the price of a quart to something like $13.50, close to double what it had been selling for. Later I found a Kroger house brand, also “organic” selling for $5.49 a quart. For awhile there I wondered if a massive fire or other disaster had destroyed most of the cranberry bogs. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/7 "2025-07-18T15:00:20Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > As for price increases that surprise me, I drink a lot of seltzer waters. You know, those flavored ones like Lacroix, etc. They went from approximately $3/case of 24 prior to covid to now about $10/case. This is for carbonated water with just the slightest flavoring added. No sugar, nothing. yet 3x the prior price. Astounding. Wait, what? You were paying 12.5c a can for seltzer? In 2019? You must be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/8 "2025-07-18T15:23:30Z")
I’ve noticed the price of the good bulk coffee I buy is up recently. This comes from a store chain in the same category as Whole Foods = Whole Paycheck. That’s also the only product I buy from stores like that; otherwise I’m an ordinary mainstream midmarket grocery store kinda guy. But at least as of last week it’s sure not double what it cost pre-COVID. Up a buck or maaybe 2 per pound since the start of the year, with most of that just in the last month or so. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/9 "2025-07-18T17:28:24Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Tell me you shop at Jewel without saying the word Jewel. Isn’t the proper phrasing “Over by da Jewels?” 😉 Guilty! My sister offered name brand cereal - like Cheerios - her hubby’s fave, as having increased hugely. Says the storebrand often is dirt cheap on special. I suggested she just keep an old Cheerios box… 😉 She said she actually had done that when her kids were home and they used to go through a to of syrup. Hubby insisted it had to be Log Cabin - not even real maple syrup. She couldn’t bear to pay the premium, until one day he caught her refilling the Log Cabin bottle! 😃 At the other end of the spectrum, fresh fruits and veggies remain ridiculously cheap (so long as you buy what is on special.) Doesn’t seem that you ought to be able to buy them that cheap - especially when shipped in from afar. (Yeah - I know I expressed a preference to NOT make this about current politics…) > [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > …I drink a lot of seltzer waters. You know, those flavored ones like Lacroix, etc. … We recently wanted to bring some NA drinks for a day at a lake. My wife bought “Sunshine” essence - largely because of the pretty packaging with sunflowers. I kidded her about being a pawn to marketing. NOTHING on the packaging said what the flavor of “sunshine” is. And we couldn’t figure it out. On-line they say nothing more specific than “a blend of citrus and tropical zest.” ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/10 "2025-07-18T17:29:18Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Wait, what? You were paying 12.5c a can for seltzer? In 2019? You must be mistaken. I think I need to clarify that by “seltzer” I mean sparkling water, not the alcohol containing hard seltzers that are popular at the moment. And yes, if I am remembering correctly, I could get them on sale for $3-$3.50 per case at Costco at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/11 "2025-07-18T18:22:13Z")
Yep, I get the product. I suppose it cost whatever it cost. I just don’t think I can remember a time in the 21st century where I was paying anything close to that price at the “regular” grocery store. … though a bit of research seems to indicate it’s my memory that’s faulty here. I do see 18 packs of Polar brand seltzer for $9 on Amazon, which is 50c a can (my local grocer sells 12 packs for $7, so slightly more expensive). I guess that maybe a Costco/Sam’s Club might have had a similar product on sale less than a decade ago for such a low (12.5c) price per can. Now that I think about it, I recall that there was often a 3(x12) for $10 sale going on of the basic flavors. Anyway, enough of this hijack. I believe you, I am just in disbelief (if that makes sense 🙂 ). It’s funny how brains quickly re-wire expectations. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/12 "2025-07-18T20:03:32Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > “sunshine” is. And we couldn’t figure it out. On-line they say nothing more specific than “a blend of citrus and tropical zest.” Consensus among us who discuss these things is that it’s a light pina colada flavor. The Kroger seltzer from Marianos is my brand. $3.99 12 packs, about ten flavors available. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/13 "2025-07-18T20:44:37Z")
I can tell you from working at the same supermarket chain since before COVID that one thing that people are very wrong about is what grocery prices were in 2019. Just wrong, wrong, wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/14 "2025-07-18T21:11:03Z")
Taking the thread title at face value, fast food has gotten _crazy_ expensive. There is no longer any meaningful difference in price between McDonald’s and Panera. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/15 "2025-07-18T21:52:19Z")
Yep. Unless you order from the specials on the app, then it’s reasonable. For example, I was at McDonald’s today and saw I could get a Daily Double, 4 piece nuggets, fries and drink for $6, which is a reasonable price. Otherwise, your’re spending $10 or more on a meal. (I didn’t order anything but the 99 cent large iced coffee on my app. Way cheaper than going to Dunkin or Starbucks.) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/16 "2025-07-18T22:05:10Z")
I’m not sure there’s any quality difference between McDonald’s and Panera either. But Panera quantities have shrunk in the last ten years. I eat at both places occasionally. Maybe 3-4 times a month. In 2015 I’d be very full with a medium combo at McDonald’s and a pick 2 at Panera. The former is still true. The latter definitely not. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/17 "2025-07-18T22:16:53Z")
I eat out infrequently, and at fast food never. But I recall someone telling me a couple of years ago how crazy expensive McD’s had gotten. That’s one where I am stuck with my unrealistic remote memory of my mom giving me a buck to buy a burger, fries, and drink. > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I can tell you from working at the same supermarket chain since before COVID that one thing that people are very wrong about is what grocery prices were in 2019. Just wrong, wrong, wrong. Do you know of any place to find decent comparisons of specific food items - say 2019 to now? [This site](https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2025/05/inflation-and-food-price-update-may-2025.html#:~:text=Consumers%20often%20focus%20on%20level,and%20September%2016%2C%202024) says 29.5% - but huge differences between different categories. Are you saying folk think groceries were way more expensive in 19 that folk think? Not arguing - just trying to be clear what you are saying. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/18 "2025-07-18T22:18:03Z")
They vastly underestimate prices in 2019. If you ask a person complaining about the price of 85/15 ground beef, they will say it has gone from $X to $3X in five years. When it hasn’t been $X since 2005. Meat is a category with a lot of inflation in the last five years. But people keep saying steak was $3/lb in 2020. It was not. Meat is also highly volatile so people can cherry pick the prices that compare and mix and match. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/19 "2025-07-18T22:21:24Z")
Thx. I have no one to compare to other than my wife - who does the shopping and keeps the books. Admittedly, it is hard to recall prices from any particular year. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039/20 "2025-07-18T22:26:22Z")
Of course we keep very good records but I can’t share them with you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-food-price-increase-most-surprises-you/1021039.md?page=2)