PHOENIX — What many are stocking up on at the grocery store looks a lot different these days.
Shoppers ABC15 spoke with say they’ve stopped buying organic. Others say they are buying less meat and instead buying more rice and beans. Some are even changing their daily routines.
“Just limiting how much we drive and other expenses like going out to eat (aren’t) happening as much as it used to,” said George Pasisis.
Timothy Richards, Morrison Chair of Agribusiness at the W. P. Carey Morrison School of Agribusiness, says there are a lot of reasons why the cost of food is so high.
“That base level of inflation that’s in wages and gas prices, electricity prices, and all sorts of input prices are still there,” Richards said.
Richards says when wages go up, you can expect to see costs go up too.
“For some crops that are hand-harvested, labor can be up to 80% of the cost of production,” Richards said.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the cost of eggs is up 39% compared to last year, cereal is 16% higher, butter is 29% higher and chicken is 16% higher.
The company Information Resources Inc. says shoppers are also cutting back on things like frozen dinners, cookies, and drinks.
