If you find yourself doing a double take at the cash register during your next grocery run, your eyes aren’t fooling you.
Food prices are going up – especially the price of beef which has gone up by double digits since 2019. And that’s not only affecting shoppers, but also the Bay Area food banks helping families who struggle to put food on the table.
“My son, he can finish a hamburger,” said San Jose resident George Hernandez. “He loves his burgers.”
Hernandez has two growing kids at home, which means he’s making lots of visits to his local supermarket to keep the fridge stocked.
“I eat meat every day. I’ve noticed the prices go up,” he said.
As his son’s appetite grows, Hernandez’s wallet is getting thinner.
“That’s what I noticed the most, the ground beef,” the father said.
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According to the latest numbers from the Labor Department, the cost of food is going up.
Since last year, the price of beef is up by 25%, fruits and vegetables have risen by more than 2% and non-alcoholic drinks are up by more than 5%.
“Everything is up, not just the meat,” said San Jose resident Ana Frias.
As California rolls back on reopening, the pressure is mounting for families dealing with layoffs and furloughs to put food on the table.
Many of them are showing up at food banks like Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, which is forking over more money to meet the growing demand.
“The cost of the food we’re purchasing has increased about 25% overall,” said Cat Cvengros, vice president of development and marketing for Second Harvest.
When supplies have run out, the food bank has had to get creative.
“There was a big shortage of rice for a while so we had to substitute tortillas,” said Cvengros.
Whether or not people get their jobs back, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is expecting the need for food to stay high for the next year.
