(NEXSTAR) – Inflation on groceries has eased somewhat from its peak in recent years, but you wouldn’t know it if you’re shopping for your morning coffee or a steak dinner.
The price of beef and veal skyrocketed in 2025, outpacing the price growth of other grocery staples like milk, bread or chicken.
According to the most recent federal data, the price of beef and veal grew between 11% and 25%, depending on the cut, from November 2024 to November 2025. Chuck roast, round roast and beef cut for stew saw the biggest year-over-year price hikes.
The Trump administration recently announced it would cut tariffs on beef imports to try and bring prices back down, but experts say other systemic problems, like drought, may keep prices high for a few years.
It’s not just beef that got pricey this year. Another major import, coffee, saw a massive spike: 35% in one year. The Trump administration also recently rolled back tariffs on coffee imports.
Iceberg lettuce is a whopping 21% more expensive than last November. Romaine is 12% more expensive. Also in the produce aisle, bananas climbed 7%.
Orange juice is about 12% pricier, while the price of cookies is up 8%.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data is on a delay, so we won’t have numbers for all of 2025 until mid-January. The most recent numbers, released on Dec. 18, showed overall inflation at 2.7%. The report was delayed due to the government shutdown and data may be distorted as a result, economists warn. The October report was canceled entirely, so some data is missing.
“The data is truncated, and we just don’t know how much of it to trust,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. By disrupting the economy – especially government contracting – the shutdown may have contributed to a cooling in prices, she said.
Many economists don’t expect to get a reliable read on inflation until next month when the Labor Department releases inflation numbers for December.
The vast majority of U.S. adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts in recent months, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.