According to the latest data released by the US federal government, the inflation rate of food groceries in the United States has decreased from its recent peak. However, prices of some major daily food items such as coffee and beef are still on the rise, leaving consumers feeling limited relief in their basic living expenses.
In 2025, beef and veal prices have surged, exceeding those of milk, bread, or chicken among other everyday food groceries. Different cuts of beef and veal have seen price increases ranging from 11% to 25% between November 2024 and November 2025. Among them, chuck roast, hindquarter cuts, and beef chunks for stewing experienced the highest year-on-year price increases.
The Trump administration recently announced plans to lower beef import tariffs in an effort to bring down beef prices. However, experts suggest that factors like drought and other systemic issues may maintain beef prices at elevated levels in the coming years.
It’s not just beef that has seen significant price hikes this year. Another essential import commodity, coffee, has skyrocketed by 35% within a year. The Trump administration has also adjusted import tariffs on coffee recently.
Compared to November last year, spinach prices surged by 21%, romaine lettuce prices increased by 12%, and banana prices rose by 7%. Orange juice prices jumped by approximately 12%, while cookie prices also rose by 8%.
The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics under the US Department of Labor released on December 18 showed an overall inflation rate of 2.7% in November. Due to the 43-day government shutdown starting on October 1, the consumer price index (CPI) report for October was completely canceled, leading to missing inflation data for part of this year.
Many economists anticipate that a more reliable assessment of the inflation situation will only be possible after the release of the December inflation data by the Department of Labor next month.
Reference: Information from the Congressional Hill report.