Tomato Prices Jump 40% Making Food More Expensive

Now tomatoes from Mexico have a 17% tax added to their price. This tax is called a tariff, and it makes imported food cost more. When stores have to pay more for tomatoes, they pass that cost on to customers. Families shopping for groceries are finding it harder to buy the tomatoes they need for meals.

Restaurants are feeling the pain even more than regular shoppers. Wayne Humphrey runs a sandwich shop company called Snarf's Sandwiches. His company has dozens of stores in Colorado, Missouri, and Texas. He says the higher tomato prices will cost his business an extra $1.7 million every year.

Many people are going online to complain about the high food prices. They are angry that basic ingredients like tomatoes cost so much more than before. Some restaurants might have to change their menus or raise their prices because of these costs. Others might use fewer tomatoes in their recipes.

Food experts worry that tomato prices could stay high for a while. The shipping problems and taxes on imports are not going away quickly. This means families will need to budget more money for groceries. Some people might choose to grow their own tomatoes in gardens to save money.