Food continues to cost more, whether it's in restaurants, takeout, or in the comfort of your own home.
The United States Department of Agriculture says that Americans are now spending 11.3% of their disposable income on food.
“It’s disappointing and I feel like I just have to adjust to it,” said Dannielle Clemens, a San Luis Obispo resident.
“A lot of the time I’ll just not buy it,” said one Cal Poly student. “I think that’s the solution I come to.”
“I’m a broke freshman in college and I feel like I’m spending way more,” said Dominic Ingram, a Cal Poly student
Community members and Cal Poly students tell me purchasing food at the grocery store has gotten quite expensive.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average annual food-at-home prices were 5% higher in 2023 than in 2022.
Some are adjusting to the price increase.
“I think I've given in to it,” said Nicki Wiedeman, a San Luis Obispo resident. “I mean it is what it is. I moved here from the Midwest and it was 'sticker shock' back then and I call it a luxury tax living here, so I think things tend to be more expensive when you’re living in the happiest place on earth.”
“I definitely have to make adjustments because some things are just too expensive,” said Clemens. “Maybe some meals that I used to routinely make are more of a special meal now.”
A couple of Cal Poly students KSBY spoke with say they spend near or more than $40 when it comes to shopping on a budget.
“For one bag I had produce and this drink,” said Ingram, referring to items he had purchased. “This and this is mine for $45.”
“I try to always spend $40 or less because that’s just my budget range,” said Kate Kohnstamm, a Cal Poly student. “Like I don’t want to go over that, so I just get what that gets me.”
Kohnstamm says the high prices on certain items make it harder to shop at ease.
“It’s definitely jarring how much I wanted to get but couldn’t get because of the price because I can’t afford as much as I would ideally like,” said Kohnstamm. “I’m someone who likes fruits and vegetables a lot and I don’t get to have as much as I would like because it’s more expensive.”
The USDA says that prices for beef and veal are predicted to experience the highest price growth of 5.8% this year.
“The cost of beef is like crazy high,” said Clemens. “I’ve noticed that.”
The SLO Food Bank says they are seeing an increase in demand due to food prices increasing in the area.
“Absolutely,” said Molly Kern, SLO Food Bank CEO. “Even just in the past year, the SLO Food Bank has seen a 14% increase in the number of people that we’re serving, which means that every month we’re serving more than 36,000 people. To give you some context, in the height of the COVID pandemic, we were serving an average of 40,000 people a month, so that demand that we had hoped would subside has in fact turned back around and is increasing again.”
The SLO Food Bank offers assistance to individuals who are interested in applying for the CalFresh program, which helps many purchase healthy food by providing them with an EBT card that can be used in grocery stores and at some farmer's markets.
