Prices are skyrocketing for popular grocery items such as coffee and beef, with environmental factors partly to blame, ABC News reported.

What's happening?

In 2025, food prices increased at the fastest monthly rate since 2022, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index report. The 2.4% inflation rate for food over the year outpaced the Federal Reserve's 2% target, as ABC News noted.

Certain in-demand items saw even more dramatic price increases. In December, coffee prices were up 20% compared to the prior year, while beef prices increased 15.5% over the same period.

Experts trace rising beef prices to drought in the American Midwest. The lack of rainfall killed off much of the plants that cows feed on, leading farmers to reduce their herds. This lack of supply, combined with high demand for burgers and steaks, has made high beef prices an ongoing problem for consumers.

Coffee prices have similarly suffered thanks to extreme weather in the world's coffee-growing regions. Rising global temperatures have contributed to events such as heat waves, heavy rainfalls, and droughts, which make it harder for coffee to grow and send prices skyrocketing.

Why are rising grocery prices concerning?

Even consumers who avoid coffee and beef are paying high grocery prices, which can contribute to food insecurity and cause significant stress.

These high prices are all the more concerning given the staggering amount of perfectly good food that winds up in landfills. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 30-40% of food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten. This not only wastes the resources that went into growing the food, but also contributes to the production of planet-heating gases when food is left to rot in landfills.

Companies sometimes dispose of surplus or overstocked inventory, but there is a growing movement to repurpose food rather than waste it. Martie sells surplus groceries at deep discounts, ensuring that they don't end up in landfills.

What's being done about high grocery prices?

Many factors contribute to grocery prices, and weather events such as droughts can affect the food supply chain for years, making it difficult to reverse the inflationary trend. "There's no easy fix," Naomi Blohm, a senior market adviser for Total Farm Marketing, told ABC News.

However, individual consumers can do their part to reduce food waste and slash their grocery spending. Martie is a great place to find brand-name goods up to 80% off retail prices, and some adventurous shoppers might be tempted to try dumpster diving or to take home food that grocery stores have tossed in the trash. And everyone can tweak their grocery shopping habits to avoid buying more than they'll use.

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