Florida consumers paying more for groceries

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Bureau of Labor Statistics says everyone is paying more for groceries these days. It's not just meat, people are paying more for lots of household staples.

At Family Foods, off Orange Blossom Trail, the staff says it has been tough.

“Like a month ago it was really, really hard to get everything,” said manager Belen Rojas.

Rojas says things are better, but it has been a struggle to keep it that way.

“Our boss is searching in New York, and some friends he's been asking if they can send us the merchandise, so he's working really, really hard for that,” she said.

The Department of Labor states that prices rose nationwide for groceries more than four percent over the last year. They say in April alone, the price for meats, poultry, and eggs jumped 4.3%. Grains and non-alcoholic drinks spiked 2.9%. Dairy products, fruits, and vegetables rose 1.5%

Analyst Phil Lempert said it might just be the beginning of higher prices.

“Because keep in mind, all these grocery workers have been getting $2 more per hour. Walmart just this morning came out saying their bonuses for workers are reaching $1 billion. We haven't even begun to see the effects.”

Not to mention, Lempert said, the prices groceries were paying to keep their stores clean while limiting the number of shoppers in the stores.

“Somebody's got to pay for that and unfortunately the costs will be passed on to us as consumers,” he said.

Lempert says in the best-case scenario, we may not see prices begin to come down for at least a year.