NBC CT Responds answers questions about if tariffs will stick and the rise of food prices
Consumers are waking up every day to changes that could impact the price of what we eat.
Our NBC CT Responds team is hearing questions about whether tariffs will stick, whether food prices will rise, and what items may no longer be on supermarket shelves.
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WATCH HEREFood industry analyst and the editor of Supermarketguru.com, Phil Lempert, says, first and foremost, don’t panic.
He says he went to ten grocery stores this weekend and saw people stockpiling even perishable food items.
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SIGN UP If you do want to buy now with the hopes of saving later, make sure what you purchase has a long shelf life and that you’re properly freezing items, Lempert suggests.
For example, he suggests wrapping meat in aluminum foil, then a freezer bag and date it so you use it within six months.
"If in fact the tariffs hit and the prices go up, what we're going to see is, we're going to see scarcity. We're going to go from 400 products, you know, in a produce department, probably down to maybe 150, 200, and people are going to be upset," said Lempert.
NBC CT Responds
Lempert’s best suggestion to save money on food is to stop wasting it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates Americans waste 30-40% of our food supply.
And Lempert says make a shopping list and stick to it, and bring home your leftovers.
