October 27, 2025 from CBS:
"For evidence that the cost of food in the U.S. remains hard to stomach for many households, look no further than the price of bananas, beef and coffee.
"Banana prices were up 6.9% in September from a year ago, ground beef has risen 12.9% and roasted coffee has jumped an eye-watering 18.9%, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index data for September. And now for the bad news.
"'"One of the questions that I'm asked a lot is, when are prices coming down? And my answer is simple: never,' Phil Lempert, food industry analyst and editor of SupermarketGuru, told CBS News. 'The best that we can hope for is stabilization.'
"So what's behind the surging price of such foods? There are a mix of factors, ranging from the impact of climate change on crop harvests and U.S. tariffs on imports to the simple laws of economics.
- "Beef: The main reason beef has become painfully expensive comes down to economics and climate: As global temperatures rise, shrinking cattle herds are straining the nation's beef supply even as demand remains strong. As with any other product, prices tend to rise when demand outstrips supply.
"As for beef from Brazil, America's largest import source, Peel said tariffs could also curb supplies. The total tariff on Brazilian beef imports now sits at 76.4%, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
- "Coffee: The average retail price of 100% ground roast coffee reached a record high of $9.14 per pound in September, labor data shows. That's well over double the price from December 2019, or shortly before the pandemic, when a pound of ground coffee cost just over $4."
"Several factors are behind this increase. First, volatile weather, including both heavy rain and droughts in major coffee-producing countries, such as Brazil and Colombia, are depressing crop yields,
"The Trump administration this year has imposed new tariffs on several major coffee producers that export to the U.S. That includes a 50% levy on Brazil, a 10% tariff on Colombia and a 20% tax on Vietnam. In Brazil, that has led producers to withhold shipments as they negotiate with American roasters over who will absorb the added costs, throttling supplies in the U.S., according to investment bank UBS.
- "Bananas: The average cost of the potassium-rich fruit rose to 67 cents per pound in September — the highest price on record in the U.S. and up 10 cents, or nearly 18%, since late 2019, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
"Among consumers, the issue caused an uproar last year after Trader Joe's announced it was upping the price of its bananas for the first time in over two decades, from 19 cents each to 23 cents.
"s with coffee beans, supply constraints and tariffs have pushed up banana prices, experts note. Most bananas sold in the U.S. are imported from Central and South America. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Guatemala supplied 40% of U.S. bananas in 2023, while Ecuador and Costa Rica each accounted for 16%."
