ANNALS OF TRUMPI$TAN: Prices are soaring on these everyday grocery items, driving up inflation. (Amy B Wang & Federica Cocco, WaPo, June 10, 2026)

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From The Washington Post:

Prices are soaring on these everyday grocery items, driving up inflation

Americans are paying more particularly for produce and baked goods, among others, driven by the Iran war, tariffs and drought.

June 10, 2026 at 3:48 p.m. EDTYesterday at 3:48 p.m. EDT

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Lettuce at a grocery store in Austin last month. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

By Amy B Wang

 and 

Federica Cocco

If trips to the grocery store have stung more recently, it’s not your imagination: Inflation is the highest it has been in three years.

The consumer price index hit 4.2 percent in May, up from 3.8 percent in April, according to fresh inflation data out Wednesday. Prices have soared in particular on a lot of things Americans buy every day, including coffee, lettuce and more. While the war in Iran has fueled most of the run-up in prices, tariffs and drought conditions also have been playing a role.

Grocery prices are far above the slow, steady rise shoppers had come to expect

% change in "food at home" consumer prices since 2000

Actual

 

grocery prices

Pre-

pandemic trend

The red line extends the average monthly rate of grocery price increases from 2000 to 2020 forward, to show how far prices have diverged from their historical path.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED

FEDERICA COCCO / THE WASHINGTON POST

“So you’re not only paying energy to ship it, you’re paying energy to keep it cool,” Thilmany said.

In May, some of the bigger price increases came in the categories of fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes, doughnuts, biscuits and muffins. Prices also went up for both ham and eggs, compared with April.

Lettuce saw one of the biggest jumps in prices, up 16 percent in May compared with April and up 24 percent from a year ago. Like tomatoes, much of the lettuce Americans eat in winter is grown outside the United States. While there are a handful of places in the United States that lettuce can be grown close to year-round — including in parts of California and Arizona — those areas have also been dealing with water deficits, Thilmany said. 

Some products, such as tomatoes imported from Mexico — even those that are part of U.S. retailers’ supply chains — continue to be pricey because they are subject to tariffs of about 17 percent, after President Donald Trump last year canceled an agreement that had stabilized the market.

Tomato prices fell slightly by 6 percent from April, but they are up 32 percent in May compared with last year.

Overall, all fresh fruits and vegetables were up 6 percent in May from a year ago. 

Beef prices were down slightly in May compared with April but up 13 percent from last year, after 24 months of record demand for quality protein; some ranchers are struggling to keep up with demand after depopulating their herds in the last two years. Producers in some parts of the United States are also grappling with poor grass health due to drought, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said recently. 

High coffee prices are almost entirely the result of tariffs, Thilmany said, because the United States cannot grow its own coffee beans, with the exception of the Kona districts in Hawaii. 

It is unclear when relief could come. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for shipping, continues to drive up oil prices, and the United States and Iran do not appear to be any closer to achieving a peace deal than they were a month ago, despite Trump’s assurances. 

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What readers are saying

The comments express widespread dissatisfaction with President Trump's handling of the economy, particularly focusing on rising inflation, tariffs, and the ongoing war with Iran. Many commenters criticize Trump's policies, such as tariffs and deportations, for exacerbating...Show more

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