https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/trump-to-the-hungry-let-them-eat-whatever

NPR reports consumers are seeing no relief in sight as Trump-era grocery prices continue to skyrocket.

Last month saw the biggest jump in food prices in almost three years. And Galveston, Texas resident and retired nurse Shelia Fields is having to visit a string of grocers to stay within budget. That effort, she said, is comparable to a “full-time job.”

"Like yesterday, we went to three different stores here in town. And we bought only what was a really good sale," said Fields, who shares a fixed income with her retired husband. "So we got no meat at all. Because it's just too high."

"We've been through a lot of recessions,” Fields added. “We've been through one in the '80s and 2008. And this is the scaredest we've ever been.'

NPR reports the Fields are not the only retires worried about blowing through their savings to eat. An Associated Press and NORC survey found the cost of groceries has become a major source of stress for more than half of all Americans — outpacing rent, health care and student debt.

Cincinnati bank employee Rebecca White told NPR that she’s scouring the back of her cupboards for old cans of food and “eating a lot of spaghetti” because her paycheck has not kept pace with her rising grocery bills.

"I try to stick to cheaper meals, which isn't always healthy," said White. "Sometimes I'll skip breakfast and then just have lunch and dinner so that I don't have to buy another meal."

Additionally, officials with the Kroger supermarket chain tell NPR that shoppers are making smaller, more frequent trips to the store, using more coupons, and opting for cheaper off-label products.

President Donald Trump campaigned on lowering grocery prices, but the overall cost of groceries is higher now than when he was sworn in.

“The president's crackdown on illegal immigration — including targeting people who pick and process our food — could add to upward pressure on prices,” NPR reports. “Trump's tariffs are also contributing to higher prices for imported staples like bananas and coffee.”

Trump is aware of the power of high grocery prices because he has said repeatedly that shoppers' frustration with prices helped put him back in the White House, NPR added.

Meanwhile, White said that she's not optimistic about catching relief at the checkout line any time soon. "Once prices go up, they rarely if ever come back down," she said.

Read the full NPR report at this link.