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BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 09:51 AM Sep 22

Shoppers now facing 'fruit and veggie flation' this fall

Source: Scripps News

Posted 7:08 AM, Sep 22, 2025


Higher produce prices are forcing many shoppers like Jessie Nickerson to rethink where they buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Nickerson says she was stunned by prices at her organic grocery store.

"Over $2 for one tomato. That was a little steep for me," Nickerson said.

At Roth Produce, a local produce stand, Michael Guintini says he is fighting "fruit and veggie-flation" the best he can. Recently, he had to stop selling asparagus after tariffs sent prices on Mexican asparagus soaring. "For me to make any money, I'd have to charge over $8 a pound, and I can't do that," Guintini said.

The same goes for imported berries like blueberries and blackberries. Guintini says he’s also given up on Honeycrisp apples. "Well, Honeycrisp is always expensive," Guintini said.

Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/dont-waste-your-money/shoppers-now-facing-fruit-and-veggie-flation-this-fall



I (and many on DU) had parents who grew up during a period when you could basically only buy produce "in season". Out of season would have been "canned" (either jarred or literal cans). My mother would always give the example of how "an orange at Christmas" was a treat. Now with all the imports from countries below the equator (e.g, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, etc), we could get that produce basically "year round".

Then came the tariffs.
70 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Shoppers now facing 'fruit and veggie flation' this fall (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Sep 22 OP
That's what I always say when people start ranting about trade, don't they like strawberries in January? Walleye Sep 22 #1
California harvests strawberries in January and February. quaint Sep 22 #3
Surprised he hasn't put a tariff on California Walleye Sep 22 #6
He has done everything else. quaint Sep 22 #10
The vast majority of Cali farmers are RW looney tunes wolfie001 Sep 22 #12
I don't like poorly-regulated Chinese food. Won't buy it. . . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Sep 22 #28
Oh, don't worry they're working on Bettie Sep 22 #41
Yeah. Before they finish, many Canadians like me have already been boycotting US food, goods, and services Bernardo de La Paz Sep 22 #42
Remember, tRUMP has essentially eliminated the EPA wolfie001 Sep 22 #46
And citrus is a winter crop in Florida. iemanja Sep 22 #53
MAGA is bringing down inflation in an upwards direction IronLionZion Sep 22 #2
I have grown potted oranges (mostly mandarins) and yes based on when they bloom and ripen BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #5
Google gave me this for California orange season IronLionZion Sep 22 #8
And both FL & CA are above the equator BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #11
Russia: potatoes and rutabagas (turnips). Cabbage too wolfie001 Sep 22 #15
They'll have to compete with those "Maine-uh" potatoes! BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #18
I love me some potatoes! wolfie001 Sep 22 #19
... BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #21
OMG, I'm old enough that I can remember sticking those pieces into actual potatoes, just like in that commercial! ShazzieB Sep 22 #32
Me too BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #36
I had one as a kid wolfie001 Sep 22 #45
And one of these - BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #58
Gumbo way before Eddie Murphy! wolfie001 Sep 22 #61
Eddie Murphy did do a good Gumby! BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #65
He saved SNL after all the heavyweights left wolfie001 Sep 22 #67
My wife bought grapefruit at Shoprite yesterday. We looked at the bag, and they're product of South Africa. patphil Sep 22 #22
Who knew Alaska was a major orange growing region! Bernardo de La Paz Sep 22 #29
They should have included Hawai'i on that map BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #33
K&R BlueWavePsych Sep 22 #4
Excellent graphic! Marthe48 Sep 22 #14
Yep - paid $2.29/lb for broccoli yesterday... MANative Sep 22 #7
LOL, that's dirt cheap. maxsolomon Sep 22 #54
Wow - that's insane! MANative Sep 22 #57
Thanks. It's not just food. Gas is $4.89 for regular in the city. maxsolomon Sep 22 #60
Gas isn't too crazy here because... MANative Sep 22 #63
Add it on to the utterly ridiculous meat-flation of summer, I guess Prairie Gates Sep 22 #9
Either skipping meals, or eating lots of beans and rice! ShazzieB Sep 22 #34
Meat-flation has forced me to go with more friuts and vegetables. Dr. T Sep 22 #35
That's a healthy way to go. Gimpyknee Sep 22 #56
I have assembled homegirl Sep 22 #13
I grow sprouts Marthe48 Sep 22 #16
The lettuce should be easy BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #20
unless you have serious frost where you are, variety Sierra has done well for me in all seasons. Slow to bolt, wiggs Sep 22 #26
Won't be long before the "Opposite People" will start crawling out of the woodwork. chouchou Sep 22 #17
"We have always been at war with Veggieflation." Qutzupalotl Sep 22 #23
Republicans advise stocking up on bananas. twodogsbarking Sep 22 #24
One of the most annoying things about American English SidneyR Sep 22 #25
Just like "-gate" BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #39
Something we can hang around the Republican Party's collective neck, and we're talking about "language abuse" instead? ck4829 Sep 22 #51
Paid $11 for a small jar of avocado mayo yesterday at Sprouts. Some things seem quite high. nt wiggs Sep 22 #27
I bought a bag of mandarins Captain Zero Sep 22 #30
I remember waxed cardboard cartons with grapefruit and oranges on dry ice. Harker Sep 22 #31
"fruit and veggie flation" JoseBalow Sep 22 #37
Where and when I grew up people canned fruits. The cellar would be full by late fall. You didn't have the chance twodogsbarking Sep 22 #38
Wholesale fresh and dry vegetables up 17.9% from June to August, per Producer Price Index progree Sep 22 #40
Broccoli up 50% from last week bucolic_frolic Sep 22 #43
I've been buying frozen broccoli florets BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #44
Have to wonder if they're worth years of refrigeration. bucolic_frolic Sep 22 #47
I have a deep freezer that I can put stuff like that in BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #49
I get it, that's a good idea. bucolic_frolic Sep 22 #50
For veggies BumRushDaShow Sep 22 #52
Literally wondering whether we need to start a Trump Garden JCMach1 Sep 22 #48
Son & daughter grew tomatoes this year for the first time; bountiful crop. No Vested Interest Sep 22 #55
Haven't Noticed It Here Yet, But... ProfessorGAC Sep 22 #59
fucking repuke voters Skittles Sep 22 #62
K&R ck4829 Sep 22 #64
its the trump economy samsingh Sep 22 #66
You think vegies are expensive now? Aussie105 Sep 22 #68
Produce here in NM is getting tougher to find reliably Warpy Sep 22 #69
Remember the huge uptick in froduce prices a few years ago? BobTheSubgenius Tuesday #70

Walleye

(42,645 posts)
1. That's what I always say when people start ranting about trade, don't they like strawberries in January?
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:05 AM
Sep 22

wolfie001

(6,235 posts)
12. The vast majority of Cali farmers are RW looney tunes
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:35 AM
Sep 22

I did "my own research" on that subject. Everything the fat orange imbecile did was fine until he took away the folks who ACTUALLY WORKED on their farms. Stupid mf'ers. No sympathy. I'd replace their produce with frozen imported Chinese mainland veggies if I could. I'll keep looking until we get a sane President again.

Bernardo de La Paz

(58,961 posts)
42. Yeah. Before they finish, many Canadians like me have already been boycotting US food, goods, and services
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 02:12 PM
Sep 22

I continue to consume DU regardless.

wolfie001

(6,235 posts)
46. Remember, tRUMP has essentially eliminated the EPA
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 03:24 PM
Sep 22

I currently do not trust the government and the farmers that voted for that fat orange mf'er.

IronLionZion

(50,003 posts)
2. MAGA is bringing down inflation in an upwards direction
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:07 AM
Sep 22

by making it great again. Tariffs and mass deportations are great for inflation in fruits and vegetables.

For the orange at Christmas treat, winter is orange season. Florida has other perennial problems like blight killing their orchards. But generally winter is the time to get in season oranges in the US from other states like California.

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
5. I have grown potted oranges (mostly mandarins) and yes based on when they bloom and ripen
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:15 AM
Sep 22

BUT... the FL oranges have been mainly bred for juicing where the CA oranges have been for out-of-hand eating. The 2 states have opposite types of climates (FL has a dry winter and rainy summer and CA a rainy winter and dry summer, crazy climate change aside).

But in either case, only having domestic citrus already limited during the period when it was normally available, itself drove up the cost.

IronLionZion

(50,003 posts)
8. Google gave me this for California orange season
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:21 AM
Sep 22

Navel Orange Season (Eating Oranges)
Season: November through June.
Peak: January through April.
Characteristics: Seedless, easy to peel, sweet, and juicy.

Valencia Orange Season (Juicing Oranges)
Season: February through early November.
Peak: July through October.
Characteristics: High juice content, perfect for juicing, and may regreen in hot weather.

Other Citrus Varieties
Blood Oranges: Ripe in winter, typically from December to April.
Mandarins: In season from October to January.

I like mandarins

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
11. And both FL & CA are above the equator
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:30 AM
Sep 22

The "opposite" season countries like Brazil, supplement to provide year-round availability (except for some of the more "exotic" citrus like the Dekopon/Sumo mandarin, that I have grown and that I have seen more nowadays in the supermarket - but only certain times of the year).



Citrus orchards for limes are more rare in the continental U.S. due to their lack of hardiness. The lemons, on the other hand, are fine in those U.S. citrus-growing regions!

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
18. They'll have to compete with those "Maine-uh" potatoes!
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 11:04 AM
Sep 22


(and maybe Idaho's )

Although climate change is starting to impact them - The looming threat for Maine’s iconic potato industry

ShazzieB

(21,675 posts)
32. OMG, I'm old enough that I can remember sticking those pieces into actual potatoes, just like in that commercial!
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:38 PM
Sep 22

I wasn't sure I'd remembered correctly, because the whole idea sounded so weird, but that commercial proves I didn't imagine it!

How times have changed. Letting kids play with real fruits and vegetables like that would NEVER fly now (tariffs or no tariffs)!



BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
36. Me too
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:56 PM
Sep 22

That's how they originally came - plastic pieces that you actually stuck into potatoes. Then they came out with a plastic potato in the box to use.

wolfie001

(6,235 posts)
61. Gumbo way before Eddie Murphy!
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 06:07 PM
Sep 22

I saw a clip around 2000 of the original show and boy, it was a bit depressing. Such a time warp.

patphil

(8,310 posts)
22. My wife bought grapefruit at Shoprite yesterday. We looked at the bag, and they're product of South Africa.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 11:25 AM
Sep 22

I know there are some problems with US citrus crops, but this is a first for us.
She paid $7.99 for a bag of 6 (5lb). Believe it or not, that's actually a pretty good price by today's standards.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000711411



BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
33. They should have included Hawai'i on that map
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:43 PM
Sep 22

since they were apparently attempting to reference "the United States" (although I know that Hawai'i has some strict import/export regs, including to/from the CONUS).

Citrus growing regions around the world

MANative

(4,180 posts)
7. Yep - paid $2.29/lb for broccoli yesterday...
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:19 AM
Sep 22

It's usually more like $1.49 in my area. Strawberries were $7.99/lb. Crazy!!!

maxsolomon

(37,432 posts)
54. LOL, that's dirt cheap.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 05:06 PM
Sep 22

Brocc is usually $3/lb here in Seattle at our Kroger-owned chain.

Maybe the rest of the US is catching up to us.

MANative

(4,180 posts)
57. Wow - that's insane!
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 05:47 PM
Sep 22

This is about the highest price I've seen at our chain grocers, but $3/lb for broccoli is ludicrous. I'm in Fairfield County, CT, which typically has a higher cost of living than most of the northeast. We don't have a ton of agriculture here, other than apples and corn, so my friends and neighbors are always groaning about the high cost of produce being shipped in. What you're paying is just nuts. I feel for you!

maxsolomon

(37,432 posts)
60. Thanks. It's not just food. Gas is $4.89 for regular in the city.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 06:03 PM
Sep 22

When I hear my Dad complain about $3.50/gallon in Ohio, I just laugh.

MANative

(4,180 posts)
63. Gas isn't too crazy here because...
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 06:20 PM
Sep 22

There are so many refineries in NJ, about an hour away. I'm paying around $3/ gal. If you go to Greenwich or Wilton, just a little south of me, you will definitely pay close to $5/ gal.

Prairie Gates

(6,367 posts)
9. Add it on to the utterly ridiculous meat-flation of summer, I guess
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:22 AM
Sep 22

I mean, it's completely out of control. Middle class people are going to start skipping meals soon.

This is crazy.

ShazzieB

(21,675 posts)
34. Either skipping meals, or eating lots of beans and rice!
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:43 PM
Sep 22

Oh, wait, how much rice is grown in the U.S.? Is that going to start getting expensive, too? Damn!

Dr. T

(414 posts)
35. Meat-flation has forced me to go with more friuts and vegetables.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:45 PM
Sep 22

But, with fruit-flation, I might have to develop a taste for dirt.

homegirl

(1,864 posts)
13. I have assembled
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:39 AM
Sep 22

supplies to grow root vegetables in my raised beds this Winter. Can do that in California...anyone have hints on growing lettuce?

Marthe48

(21,946 posts)
16. I grow sprouts
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 10:49 AM
Sep 22

To replace lettuce.

I hear that lettuce and peas grow in cooler temps better. When I had pansies in a flower bed, I'd dump ice cubes on the bed to keep it cooler so they lived longer. I saw in Mother Earth a long time ago that someone grew peas under a tarp canopy to enhance their harvest.

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
20. The lettuce should be easy
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 11:09 AM
Sep 22

through winter where you are. You might need to put some kind of insect cover over them (maybe do a hoop/tube type of cover) to keep the critters out (both animals and insects).

wiggs

(8,454 posts)
26. unless you have serious frost where you are, variety Sierra has done well for me in all seasons. Slow to bolt,
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:16 PM
Sep 22

red tinge, delicious, vigorous. I've grown from seed but if you can find 6 packs, super easy. 5 or 6 per couple seems about right.

We have some warm weather still to come next month so if you can provide some afternoon shade for these might be good for a while longer. No problem near the coast or way up north.

chouchou

(2,397 posts)
17. Won't be long before the "Opposite People" will start crawling out of the woodwork.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 11:03 AM
Sep 22

"Studies have shown that liberal states have caused the....
"The problems in California can be laid at the feet of the Democrats....
" Fox News this morning will have Farmers onscreen that will show that fruit prices started rising long before Trump was elected and...

SidneyR

(191 posts)
25. One of the most annoying things about American English
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 11:57 AM
Sep 22

is the tendency to think parts of words can be used as new words. "Flation"? I mean, it's language abuse!

ck4829

(37,124 posts)
51. Something we can hang around the Republican Party's collective neck, and we're talking about "language abuse" instead?
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 04:24 PM
Sep 22

Ahh, good lord

wiggs

(8,454 posts)
27. Paid $11 for a small jar of avocado mayo yesterday at Sprouts. Some things seem quite high. nt
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:17 PM
Sep 22

Captain Zero

(8,454 posts)
30. I bought a bag of mandarins
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:25 PM
Sep 22

But some of them are tough peeling and falling apart, all too juicy almost.
So since I'll probably throw some away, that makes them inflated in cost.

Living by myself now, I can't afford to throw food and especially fruit away. Maybe throw some into the bushes for the birds?

Harker

(16,900 posts)
31. I remember waxed cardboard cartons with grapefruit and oranges on dry ice.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:28 PM
Sep 22

Packed in Florida and shipped to Chicago in Winter, courtesy of an aunt.

twodogsbarking

(16,015 posts)
38. Where and when I grew up people canned fruits. The cellar would be full by late fall. You didn't have the chance
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:58 PM
Sep 22

to get fresh fruits and veggies. Going back farther, my great uncle who served in WW1 told me that one year for Christmas he got an orange or two. Probably around 1900 or so. He was a horse person through and through and that's what he did in the war. I was maybe ten when he told me stories.
Now back to the fruit.

progree

(12,372 posts)
40. Wholesale fresh and dry vegetables up 17.9% from June to August, per Producer Price Index
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 01:14 PM
Sep 22
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.t02.htm

Final Demand goods -> final demand foods -> fresh and dry vegetables +17.9% from June to August, seasonally adjusted.
(and -3.6% year-over-year).

Compare to:
    Final Demand goods: +0.7% June to August, and +2.1% yoy

    Final Demand goods -> final demand foods: +1.5% June to August, and +3.5% yoy

I've been eating 3 cups of vegetables a day for quite some time, so this is quite concerning. The Dept of Agriculture's Dietary Gudelines recommends 2.5 cups of vegetables a day.

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
44. I've been buying frozen broccoli florets
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 02:43 PM
Sep 22

for years! Just thaw (and/or steam or blanche) and I mostly use in recipes although I never noticed much if any quality difference between using fresh with the same type of prep.

bucolic_frolic

(52,547 posts)
47. Have to wonder if they're worth years of refrigeration.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 03:34 PM
Sep 22

In the peak of hot months, i experiment with lean fridge so I can turn it off a few days before food shopping. Likewise I embrace the frigid weeks in winter. Nature meant us to experience extremes. And not pay the utility to mitigate them.

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
49. I have a deep freezer that I can put stuff like that in
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 04:02 PM
Sep 22

that is running ~-13F to -15F. They supposedly harvest and flash-freeze those frozen veggies so they are actually minimally processed before sale. As long as something is kept in air-tight containers (or vacuum-sealed packaging), then that minimizes any freezer burn.

bucolic_frolic

(52,547 posts)
50. I get it, that's a good idea.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 04:06 PM
Sep 22

Supermarkets haven't quite figured out to raise frozen vegetable prices to match seasonal scarcity but i bet they're studying it.

And I do use frozens here or there --- broccoli, Brussel sprouts, lima beans.

BumRushDaShow

(160,911 posts)
52. For veggies
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 04:46 PM
Sep 22

I usually buy frozen broccoli, corn, peas, stir-fry mixes (usually some variation of sliced carrots, green beans, red bell peppers, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, peas, baby corn, etc), spinach (whole or chopped).

And for my oatmeal, except for when I'll pare, core, and slice an apple, I rotate frozen peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries). It is convenient! Of course that means my freezer (regular one) is usually full.

JCMach1

(28,995 posts)
48. Literally wondering whether we need to start a Trump Garden
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 03:44 PM
Sep 22

To keep us fed next Spring. Dig up the back yard and plant veggies

No Vested Interest

(5,263 posts)
55. Son & daughter grew tomatoes this year for the first time; bountiful crop.
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 05:20 PM
Sep 22

It's so great to have many to give to neighbor, mailman, caregivers, etc., and son is making homemade tomato sauce for the first time.
Money saved is not so much the issue in this instance, but the successful venture has been a plus for us

Skittles

(167,748 posts)
62. fucking repuke voters
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 06:20 PM
Sep 22

will they EVER figure out the only tangible result for them from the WAR ON IMMIGRANTS is HIGHER FUCKING PRICES

Aussie105

(7,265 posts)
68. You think vegies are expensive now?
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 06:46 PM
Sep 22

$2 for one tomato?

Wait until the day there are no tomatoes in the shop and no matter how much money you have, you can't buy one.

Warpy

(113,963 posts)
69. Produce here in NM is getting tougher to find reliably
Mon Sep 22, 2025, 06:49 PM
Sep 22

There's still enough to eat but people who shop by recipe are going to have a tough go for a while.

Since this is the time fresh food is supposed to be the most abundant, I shudder to think what this winter will bring us.

Fucking moron Republicans.

BobTheSubgenius

(12,102 posts)
70. Remember the huge uptick in froduce prices a few years ago?
Tue Sep 23, 2025, 12:41 PM
Tuesday

At a Whole Foods in Vancouver, a single cauliflower went for $12..and some people were willing to pay that, apparently.

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