(The Center Square) – Rising food costs are pushing Floridians into debt, new poll results show.
Nearly 50% of respondents said their debt has increased in the past year due to the cost of food, according to the poll conducted by Aspect Strategic on behalf of No Kid Hungry Florida.
Eighty-two percent of respondents said the cost of food is rising faster than their income and 70% said their financial situation has suffered in the past 12 months due to the cost of food.
Food costs are hitting families hard as nearly half of respondents with a child in their household said they have either skipped meals or eaten less and 39% said they have used “buy now, pay later” plans to pay for food.
The situation is not expected to improve. Food prices are predicted to increase by another 3.4% this year, the United States Department of Agriculture reported. It predicts food at home prices to go up by 3.2% and food away from home prices to increase by 3.5%.
The price of food jumped by almost 10% in 2022, faster than any year since 1979, according to the USDA. While food price growth slowed in 2023, it continued to rise, going up by another 5% for food at home and up by over 7% for food away from home.
Before 2022, the price of food at home increased by an average of 2.6% a year for decades.
This year, buyers are expected to see the price of many common food at home categories grow faster than their 20-year historical average rate of growth, including beef, fresh fruits and vegetables, sugar and sweets, and other foods.
Shoppers could get a bit of relief in egg prices and dairy prices as they are predicted to decline this year compared to 2025, the USDA said. The price of eggs fell by 1.7% between March and April this year and were almost 40% lower in April than they were in April 2025. In total, egg prices are expected to fall by almost 30% in 2026.
But elsewhere, shoppers’ wallets are taking a hit. Overall, prices for fresh vegetables are predicted to increase by 7.8% in 2026, fresh fruit is expected to go up in price by 1.8%, sugar and sweets are predicted to increase by 6.3% and prices for nonalcoholic beverages are expected to go up by 5.8% this year, according to the USDA.
