CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Supply chain issues continue to drive up prices and one place people say they are really feeling it is at the grocery store.
Miriam Torres is a mother of two children. As she walks down the aisles, she shops for her children's next meal.
“She likes tenders," Torres said.
Torres is shopping with her 17-year-old daughter Emily. Torres said as the provider of the family and with the rise in food prices, it can be difficult for a single mother of two.
“It definitely brings challenges and impacts of what I can bring versus what I would like to bring home," Torres said.
She is picking out her daughters favorite foods but sometimes that can be a challenge.
“It is hard sourcing out the good feels on that type of food. The other one is a meat eater so it’s just trying to get everybody what they want," Torres said.
So, you might be wondering just how long this will last? Economist Victor Claar for Florida Gulf Coast University said it's unclear when prices might go down.
“I think at this point, it is anybody's educated guess simply because we have never been through a pandemic quite like this ever before. It is really hard to forecast when prices will begin to level off and begin to look something like normal," Claar said.
Claar adds you can blame the supply chain, labor shortage, and additional government spending intended to boost the economy during the pandemic for the increase in prices.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the consumer price index is up 7.5%. The largest increase was for beef, poultry, fish, and eggs which rose 12.2% over the year.
“Hopefully we could accommodate for the inflation," Torres said.
Claar said the best way to plan accordingly the next time you visit a grocery store is to make a budget and stick to it.
According to Claar, here is what else you can do.
-Make a list of everything you have in your freezer.
-Make a list of all the canned goods you have in your pantry.
-Put the list on the refrigerator so you can know what you could have for dinner every night.
