The price of everyday groceries is set to skyrocket as the full impact of President Donald Trump’s doomsday tariffs take hold, experts warn.
The tariffs came into effect on August 1 and include a 50 percent tariff on Brazil and India, 30 percent tariffs on Mexico and China and 15 percent on goods from the European Union among others.
Many experts told Daily Mail that suppliers have yet to pass on the costs, but said it won’t be long before American wallets feel the pinch.
Kyle Peacock, founder of Peacock Tariff Consulting, told Daily Mail that Americans should expect to add an extra $40 a week to their grocery bill within the next three to six months due to tariffs.
‘We have started to see certain products suffer,’ he said. ‘Coffee prices have already jumped, so have vegetables.’
He said consumers will start to feel the blows come October as companies can no longer keep taking on the weight of tariffs themselves.
Arie Brish, a St. Edward’s University business professor, agreed, saying the lag is due to taking ‘time to propagate in the ecosystem’.
‘Some supply and distribution chains prepared themselves and stocked up before tariffs took effect,’ Brish told Daily Mail.
The price of everyday groceries is set to skyrocket as the full impact of President Donald Trump’s doomsday tariffs take hold
Food prices have been steadily going up since May 2024.
The Labor Department reported last week that its producer price index – which measures inflation before it hits consumers – rose 0.9 percent last month from June, the biggest jump in more than three years.
Tariffs are expected to add an additional $2,400 extra cost per household, the Yale Budget Lab estimated.
Cheese
The US imports a wide variety of cheeses, especially from European countries such as Italy, France and Spain.
Last year cheese imports hit an all time high of 473.5 million pounds.
With tariffs bringing potential price hikes, Americans are advised switch to US brands, such as Kraft and Sargento.
‘In cases where customers have the option to buy a US-made product vs imports, they will now have a stronger preference to buy US-made products if the imports become more expensive,’ Brish told Daily Mail.
Brazil is subject to a 50 percent tariff. The South American country produces around 40 percent of the world’s coffee supply
Coffee
Brazil is subject to a 50 percent tariff. The South American country produces around 40 percent of the world’s coffee.
These new tariffs will see a ‘large price increases on much of the coffee consumed in the United States,’ Justin Christopher, the manager of ecommerce and marketing at Klatch Coffee, told Daily Mail.
‘As a result, coffee importers and roasters like Klatch Coffee are seeing large increases in our landed costs when we import from Brazil,’ he said.
Coffee roasters, like Klatch, a Southern California family-owned brand, do have a stockpile of unroasted beans it can pull from for, but once it needs replenished, it will bring in higher prices.
‘Coffee roasters may have no choice but to begin importing new coffee from Brazil at the much higher tariff rate,’ he told Daily Mail.
Switzerland is known for its chocolate, like Lindt, and now the country faces a 39 percent tariff
Chocolate
Companies like Lindt, Toblerone, and Nestle are based in Switzerland, although many do have US production sites.
A Lindt & Sprüngli spokesperson told Daily Mail that the majority of US products are ‘manufactured locally’ in New Hampshire.
Despite that, brands such as Lindt, Hershey’s, and Oreos are already seeing rising prices due to the price of cocoa skyrocketing.
Cocoa prices hit historical highs in 2024, with it soaring to more than $12,000 per metric ton in December.
Due to poor crop, part of the rising cost was passed onto Lindt consumers, ‘with the high cocoa price being the main reason,’ the spokesperson told Daily Mail.
Despite that, your favorite chocolatey snacks – such as Lindt, Hershey’s, and Oreos – are already seeing rising prices due to the price of cocoa skyrocketing
‘Offsetting the high cost of cocoa forced us to increase our prices groupwide by 15.8 percent in the first half of 2025, in line with local cost structures,’ they said.
Lindt and other brands will still face a tariff charge as cocoa is imported from countries such as Ecuador, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Other brands, such as Swiss-headquartered Läderach, will see ‘massive additional costs’.
CEO Johannes Läderach said many Swiss brands are now faced with how to keep quality control for American consumers ‘without sacrificing Swissness,’ while dealing the surmounting tariff battle.
‘Our American consumers rightfully demand that Swiss chocolate – like Swiss watches – be made in Switzerland,’ he wrote.
Fresh vegetables will more than likely be the first food item Americans notice are affected as sellers cannot stockpile these items
Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh vegetables will more than likely be the first food item Americans notice are affected. as sellers cannot stockpile these items.
Although certain products can be produced in the US – such as, avocados, broccoli, and blueberries – the crop is seasonal and market rely on imports.
Other items, like bananas and mangos, are not produced in the US at all and will be hit the hardest.
‘The majority of these price increases are going to get passed on to the consumer, whether or not it’s being transparently communicated, but it’s going to happen because margins are very tight for grocers,’ Amanda Oren, who helps forecast manufacture data, told The Packer.
Popular olive oil brand, Graza, said its prices could see a price hitch in the next four months
Olive Oil
Popular olive oil brand, Graza, which is known for its squeeze bottle design, said prices on the already expensive item could go up within four months.
Co-founder Allen Dushi told The Hill the company is holding off raising prices right now, but it could be changed in the future as the company relies on perishable Spanish olives for its product.
‘Our priority number one is always the quality of what’s inside the bottle,’ Dushi said. ‘That’s not something we really compromise on.’
Olive oil is one of the biggest products affected by the tariffs in Spain and sales have already plummeted nearly 26 percent between January and June, according to Sur.
The majority of the US’ matcha supply comes from Japan, which now has a 15 percent tariff
Matcha
The majority of the US’ matcha supply comes from Japan, which now has a 15 percent tariff.
Spot of Tea owner David Cooper is already counting his stockpile to see how much longer he can hold off raising prices.
‘We’re looking at how much stock we have in our warehouse and then how much we’re going through per month and doing the math and trying to push the suppliers to finalize the order as quickly as possible,’ he told The Hill.
‘It’s definitely a little anxiety-inducing,’ Cooper, who sources his matcha powder from South Korea, said. ‘It’s just so hard to tell at this point what percentage tariff is actually going to be applied.’
Vanilla, cinnamon, and pepper cannot be produced domestically, and prices will rise industry experts warn
Spices
Many spices – including vanilla, cinnamon, and pepper – cannot be produced domestically, as they need a tropical climate to thrive.
Without the ability to grow these products commercially within the US, prices are about to soar.
‘Tariffs on these products – including additional new tariffs announced at the end of July – do not incentivize US production or create American jobs. Instead, they place an undue financial burden on US food manufacturers, restaurants, and ultimately, American consumers,’ The American Spice Trade Association told Daily Mail in a statement.
The organization is hopeful the Trump Administration will recognize some spices as ‘unavailable natural resources,’ meaning it cannot be produced in the United States, and offer a lower tariff.
These would include spices that come from Brazil, Egypt, India, Madagascar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The move, they said, would help keep the spice aisle from seeing dramatic price shifts.
The already embattled wine and spirit industry could also see further price increases
Wine and Spirits
Nearly 60 US alcohol associations a part of the Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition has called for the immediate removal of retaliatory tariffs on spirits and wine, as certain products can only be made in certain regions of the world, such as Tennessee bourbon and Cognac, which is from France.
‘Similarly, wine is linked to its place of origin through American Viticultural Areas, appellations of origin or geographical indications. Consequently, production of these products cannot simply be relocated to circumvent tariffs,’ the coalition wrote in an August 6 letter to Trump.
With a 15 percent tariff on EU wines and spirits, not only will prices go up, but the coalition worries it could cost 25,000 US jobs.