MILWAUKEE — Even though grocery prices are not rising as much as they did over the past two years, many people are still frustrated by what it costs to buy food.
When you combine inflation and the effects of Mother Nature, grocery stores are having to adjust to keep items in stock and at a reasonable price for customers.
Nationally, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that the “all-items” consumer price index from June 2023 to June 2024 is up by 3%. That’s compounded by extreme weather conditions in certain food-growing areas across the globe.
Outpost Natural Foods is a Milwaukee-based grocery co-op known for sustainability and sourcing organic products. Recently, the small grocery chain researched how Mother Nature is affecting what it does, beyond the impacts of inflation.
“The impact we are seeing, is going to be on these products that are typically grown in equatorially regions of the world where we have subtropical climates and semi-mountainous regions,” said Margaret Mittelstadt, the director of community relations for Outpost Natural Foods.
Mittelstadt said grocers are seeing impacts on items such as coffee, cocoa to make chocolate, sugarcane and olives.
“Olive groves are being impacted quite a bit right now with the high temperatures that are affecting the Mediterranean region,” she said. “So, there are going to be some fluctuation, and some change. There are going to be some price increases even on some of your budget-friendly olive oils.”
Mittelstadt said last year’s yield of olives for making olive oil was down 26%, and this year it’s expected to be down an additional 39%. That’s one of the main reasons why she often suggests shoppers start trying other healthy alternatives, like avocado or coconut oil.
She said she often recommends customers start finding cheaper alternatives to some of the products that are consistently increasing in price.
“It’s kind of a double whammy, if you will,” Mittelstadt said. “That you have prices that are already impacted. Higher prices impacted by inflation. That’s going to be adjusted accordingly when you have yield and products out of stock, or a decrease in certain products. Prices are going to be higher on that as well, too.”