Next Grocery Receipt Could Shock You, And Eggs May Be Partly To Blame
PEMBROKE PINES (CBSMiami) – The rising cost of food is not a new story, but the jump in prices is increasingly causing problems for people in South Florida and across the country.
CBS4 talked with some about how they are dealing with the rising costs.
"I'm very blessed that I can at least go to the grocery store and get milk and eggs," Teresa Angus, a Pembroke Pines resident, said.
Angus, like many, has noticed her grocery bill is a lot more expensive. Sometimes she estimates "20-30 cents more." Then the shock sets in at checkout counter.
"I only have this much in the store cart and it costs me like another 20 extra bucks," Angus said.
The increase has pushed her to make some changes.
"Now, we try not to drive," she said.
That is somehow a good thing as family and friends are coming to her house for Easter. But the meal this year will cost much more.
"Baking, and the leg of lamb, and the ham," just a few of the items Angus plans to cook for the holiday dinner.
And yet, the price for eggs is expected to rise even more as states are hit by an outbreak of the bird flu. Though, even before that, it was hard to miss the increase. Using grocery receipts from a CBS4 employee, we could track the change. On February 13, a single carton of eggs was $3.19. This past Sunday, the same product was $3.79.
"I have 18 people coming and I'm like oh my gosh," Angus said.
Even before the Avian flu, and before Russia invaded, Ukraine egg prices were going up. From January 2022 to February, eggs went up 2.2%. Year over year, it was over 11%.
"What we've found is the housing plus rent cost have increased by more than 60% since over the last 13 months, so that's obviously having a big effect on people's pocket boots," said Farm Share Chief Executive Director Stephen Shelley.
Shelley told CBS4 that lines for food pantries were leveling off at the beginning of the year, then it came back in February. And he said there's a misconception that it's only the poorest of the poor. Even everyday, working-class people are seeking help.
"It's not going down, it's only going up for the next six months, probably for the next 12 months," he said. "I think that's another critical part of the story for people to understand, that we also are struggling to get food at food banks across the entire state."
To save some money, Angus is buying more containers she hopes will keep food fresh longer, and is hoping for prices to stabilize.
"But how much longer are we going to have this?" she wondered.