The tomato—an ingredient found everywhere from fast-food burgers to haute cuisine—is taking on a new role beyond the plate: a persistent reminder of rising prices.
Tomato prices have skyrocketed more than those of any other food product over the past year, cementing their status as one of the current frustrations for consumers.
“The tomato has become a symbol of something much deeper,” noted Isaac Bernal Carbajo, a New York City chef who lamented that life’s “simplest pleasures” are falling victim to rising prices. “Something as basic as buying fresh vegetables has started to become a major financial decision for many families.”
Tomato prices have climbed about 40 percent compared to a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index—far outpacing the increases seen in other groceries such as coffee (up 18.5 percent), beef roasts (up 17.8 percent), and frozen fish and seafood (up 12 percent), among other products that have become symbols of inflation in the United States.
Another inflation indicator released on Thursday revealed that overall prices rose 3.8 percent in April compared to the previous year—its highest reading in nearly three years.
