{"id":2931,"date":"2026-05-29T16:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2931"},"modified":"2026-05-29T16:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:01:15","slug":"tomato-sticker-shock-heres-how-much-prices-have-climbed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2931","title":{"rendered":"Tomato sticker shock: Here’s how much prices have climbed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>

Tomato prices have jumped 40% over the past year \u2014 outpacing every other major food category \u2014 as trade policy, Middle East conflict and poor growing conditions converge to squeeze consumers.<\/p>

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What they’re saying:<\/p>

“The tomato has become a symbol of something much deeper,” says Isaac Bernal Carbajo, a New York City chef who lamented life’s “simplest pleasures” falling victim to price increases. “Something as basic as buying fresh vegetables is starting to become a serious financial decision for many families.”<\/p>

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By the numbers:<\/p>

Tomato prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, dwarfing increases for other groceries, including coffee (up 18.5%), beef roasts (up 17.8%) and frozen fish and seafood (up 12%), among other products that have become symbols of America\u2019s affordability squeeze.<\/p>

A separate inflation gauge released Thursday showed that overall prices increased 3.8% in April from a year earlier, the highest reading in nearly three years.<\/p>

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