The cost of groceries has gone up 2 percent from around this time last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Erin Rohrer, who shops at the Wegmans in Silver Spring Township, said “the money does not stretch as far at typical grocery stores.” Meat prices are one of the main reasons why groceries are more expensive. Ground beef costs more than $4 per pound, which is double what people were paying five years ago.
“It definitely makes a difference in what I cook. Sometimes trying to use more beans and more vegetarian meals,” said Rohrer. Out of all the meats, sirloin tip roast has posted the biggest increase, up almost 30 percent from last year. Meat prices have soared after a particularly dry year in cattle producing states like Texas and Oklahoma, but it’s not just meat.
Karen Johnson is an avid baker, which is more expensive thanks to a key ingredient. “Butter. When it was creeping up to $4 I was taken back. Now the generic brands in other stores are over $4…$4.35 for a generic pound of butter. It’s outrageous with the holidays coming,” said Johnson. She said she’ll be baking a little bit less. If meat is what you’re hungry for, try chicken. At roughly $2 per pound the cost has stayed about the same for the last five years.
