Here's why your grocery bill may be going up
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Has your grocery bill gone up since the coronavirus pandemic began?
There are two problems: meat processing back-ups and supply chain bottlenecks.
Meatpacking employees have come down with COVID-19, closing a number of plants across the country. Now, there's not enough meat getting out there into the grocer's hands.
Supply can't meet the demand for other items. One local grocer says he's only receiving 50% to 60% of his total order on items like produce.
In turn, filling up your cart nowadays may mean shelling out more from your wallet.
"Any produce, the milk, that's all extremely high," says Laurie Lindsey of Wynnefield.
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Prices are rising across the nation.
The Labor Department says in April grocery prices made their biggest one month jump in 46 years.
"What can you do? You've just got to pay it or go hungry. And that's so sad," says Lindsey.
Almost everything we buy has increased in price.
April saw the largest monthly jump ever in the following categories: poultry, fresh fish/seafood, juices, cookies, bread, cereal and lunchmeat.
Klein Supermarket in Fairmount has been in business since the late 1800s. They've done their best to keep prices down, but meat is the major issue.
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"Wholesale numbers, as far as meat, have gone up $2.50 to $3.00 a pound, per pound," says Shel Klein. "I've never seen increases like this, I've never charged anything like this. It's crazy. I don't like to do it. So far customers haven't said anything bad to me about it because they watch the news and they see this is what's coming."
At stores across the country, prices for meat rose 3.3%. Egg prices skyrocketed at more than a 16% increase. Cereal and bakery goods prices rose by nearly 3%
Some may be frustrated by the increase in prices at their local store, but in her 89 years, Miss Lorraine Johnson has learned, what goes up must come down.
"I feel in my heart things will get better. It's just going to take a little time," says Johnson.
We've heard a glimmer of hope from Klein Supermarket too. Shel Klein says he believes that as meat processing plants continue to reopen we'll see a reduction in prices within a few weeks.
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