WPTV: grocery prices surge May 19

WPTV reported on May 19 that grocery prices for ground beef, tomatoes and coffee were among the fastest-rising items in the latest Consumer Price Index data. The West Palm Beach station said ground beef rose 2.7% from April and 14.5% from a year earlier, while tomatoes were up nearly 40% over the same period. Coffee rose 2% from April and 18.5% from a year earlier, according to the report. The story tied those figures to what shoppers and a small coffee roaster in Florida said they were seeing in real time. ### Which grocery items did WPTV say were climbing fastest? The May 19 WPTV report singled out ground beef, tomatoes and coffee as standout increases in the latest inflation snapshot. Ground beef rose 2.7% month over month and 14.5% year over year, the station said. Tomatoes were up nearly 40% from a year earlier, and coffee increased 18.5% over that period. (wptv.com) ABC News, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data published earlier in the week, also reported that tomato prices had risen 39% over the prior year and that grocery prices in April posted their fastest monthly increase in nearly four years. ABC said fresh vegetables were up 11.5% from a year earlier. (wptv.com) ### What did shoppers and retailers in Florida tell WPTV? Stuart, Florida-based Roasted Record was the local business featured in WPTV’s report. The station said customers at the shop were still buying specialty coffee even as prices increased. A customer identified only as Ken told WPTV he continued to visit for “more specialty stuff,” describing coffee as partly a hobby. (abcnews.com) Michael Mann, the owner of Roasted Record, told WPTV his business had been dealing with shortages, price swings and intermittent tariffs. Mann said, “We’re still kind of pulling ourselves out from the hole we went into last year,” according to the station’s May 19 story. ### Why did Mann say coffee costs became so hard to manage? (wptv.com) Mann told WPTV that coffee sourcing had become unpredictable because beans come from countries near the equator and supply could change day to day. He said he had been speaking with his importer about whether shipments from Brazil had arrived and, if not, whether Nicaragua would be next. (wptv.com) A large burlap bag of beans now costs as much as $900, Mann told WPTV, which he said was a 200% increase from a couple of years earlier. That pressure pushed him to invest in a coffee farm in Colombia. Mann said the move was one way he and other roasters were trying to control costs. (wptv.com) ### What broader pressures are showing up behind the price increases? ABC News reported on May 13 that analysts linked the latest food-price increases to higher diesel costs, tariffs and weather-related shortages. Parke Wilde, a food economist at Tufts University, told ABC that disruptions in energy markets eventually feed into food prices. David Ortega, a food economist at Michigan State University, told ABC that perishable foods are especially exposed to higher diesel costs. (wptv.com) Tomatoes, in particular, were cited by ABC as an example of a product hit by multiple pressures at once. The outlet said analysts tied the increase to energy costs as well as tariffs and crop shortages. ### Is demand for specialty coffee holding up anyway? WPTV said demand for coffee remained strong despite the higher prices. (abcnews.com) The station reported that consumers and small coffee shops were bearing much of the pressure, even as some buyers kept spending on specialty drinks and beans. WPTV also said there was hope that some relief could come later in 2026, though the report did not identify a specific forecast or price target. For now, the latest published figures in the station’s May 19 story remain 14.5% annual growth for ground beef, nearly 40% for tomatoes and 18.5% for coffee. (wptv.com)