Connecticut grocers are concerned that President Donald Trump’s tariff war will lead to higher food prices for consumers.
Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association, a trade group representing most of the state’s food retailers, said the state's consumers are already paying 20% more for groceries than they did four years ago.
“These tariffs are almost to the point where it’s piling on in terms of affordability and people having to stretch their budgets to feed their families,” Pesce said at an appearance with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) at Edge of the Woods Market in New Haven on Wednesday.
Pesce said there are also other factors affecting groceries.
“There is, you know, olive oil increases because of drought in the Mediterranean. There are problems with coffee because of the Sub-Saharan drought in Africa. Add tariffs and you are just making a really difficult situation more difficult.”
“I’m not sure that people are going to be willing to pay the prices that are going to be on our shelves,” said Peter Dodge, owner of the market.
That’s because any price increase caused by tariffs would be passed onto consumers, he said.
