One culprit is the price of ground beef, which reached a record $6.90 per pound in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That price is quickly approaching double what it was 10 years ago, and it's up almost 20% from a year ago. But beef aside, price increases stemming from the Iran war have worsened the already dim prospects for an affordable summer cookout.
Interest is surging in the tiny, bulbous legumes sometimes met with a shrug, as more Americans increasingly seek out cheap, healthy and inventive food. Bean-centric recipes are abundant on social media yep, there are bean-fluencers on BeanTok. Consumers can now buy trendier bean-based products, and one heirloom-bean service is so popular that it has a waitlist of tens of thousands of people.
“Any dishes coming out from the [Sadaf] kitchen with rice, there is layer of saffron on the top of it,” said Mahmoud. He explained that before the Middle East war he was buying saffron at about 1,200 per kilo, but now his supplier told him the cost has risen to about 2,000 to 2,100 per kilo. “It's quite a lot,” he said.
“If you really want to show mom that TLC, you can whip up a buffet at home for a lot less money” than going out for that classic brunch, says Swanson, who tracks food prices as the chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo.
Outside, it's an overcast and blustery February day in Kent hardly the ideal conditions for growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Yet inside the enormous glasshouses run by grower Thanet Earth, the climate has been optimised to a humid 20C, perfect for the regimented rows of small pepper plants poking out of raised trays. Growing fresh produce indoors in the south of England year-round requires plenty of energy to provide light, warmth and carbon dioxide.
Austria's government has agreed on a list of everyday foods that will be taxed at a lower VAT rate from July, in a move it said should reduce prices for households and slightly dampen inflation. According to ORF, the Council of Ministers approved the product range on Wednesday after intensive discussions. The reduced VAT rate of 4.9 percent, down from ten percent, is set to apply from July 1st. The government also set an upper cost limit of 400 million for the measure, ORF reported.
Food policy across much of the world is changing. But not in Britain. That may be a costly mistake as the prices of essentials rise because of the climate emergency, geopolitical tensions and the fragility of just-in-time supply chains. Many capitals are now reviving their strategic food reserves. European nations such as Sweden, Finland, Norway and Germany are rebuilding stocks dismantled after the cold war.
There are many made-up celebrations these days, but at least National Pizza Week delivers something tasty. Coming in hot on the heels of so-called quitter's day, when many people abandon their New Year's resolutions, pizza shops around the U.S. will be tossing around some deals that could save customers some dough. Of course, many people don't need an excuse to eat pizza-on any given day, about 11% of Americans do so, according to a study released in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
With the cost of living soaring, Ron Robinson is determined to save wherever he can starting with his grocery bill. It's why the Montreal man shops at Liquidation Marie, an ultra discount grocery chain where prices can be as much as 50 per cent less than a regular grocery store. He recalls purchasing steaks for about six dollars each. "If you go to a big box store, you're going to pay maybe $20, $25 for a pack of three," Robinson told Cost of Living.
I understand we're going through tough times, he told CBC Toronto Saturday. Our number one focus is affordability and creating opportunities and jobs for people. There were more than 4.1 million food bank visits this year, Daily Bread Food Bank said in a news release this week. Additionally, more than one in 10 Torontonians currently rely on the food bank to feed themselves and their families.
When the craving for a burger and fries strikes, you don't want to wait around for something fancy and over-the-top. You want it hot and delicious, you want it now, and you want it for a reasonable price. Fast food burger chains have typically delivered on this, but in recent years, getting that reliable burger on the cheap has been harder to come by. Five Guys specifically has been called out for this repeatedly, especially after a picture of a receipt showing the cost of a bacon cheeseburger ($12.49), small fries ($5.19), and a soda ($2.89) for one person went viral on social media, which with sales tax included came in at a pricey $21.91.
