Coffee Tops Grocery Price-Increase Poll With 41 Votes as Produce Trails at 35

3 articles · Updated · The Journal News · May 12

Coffee drew 41 votes—9.3% of responses—in the latest Journal News/lohud.com poll asking readers which grocery item has risen most in price.
Fruits and vegetables tied for second at 35 votes each, followed by milk at 30, olive oil at 27, and fish, bread and chocolate at 26 apiece, showing no runaway consensus.
The poll’s write-in answers reinforced broad price pressure: meat got five mentions, “everything” got three, and single votes went to items including soda, canned foods, chicken and deli products.
That reader sentiment comes as WalletHub reported average monthly grocery costs for two people rose 0.72% from $556.20 in January 2025 to $560.20 in January 2026, and 2.45% from January 2023.

As grocery bills surge, how much of that extra cost actually reaches the farmers growing our food?

With global coffee bean prices falling, why are consumers still paying more at the checkout?