Experts share 7 grocery price predictions shoppers should watch in 2026.
After years of pandemic/tariff/inflation instability and rising prices, what does 2026 have in store for shoppers? The USDA predicts grocery prices will go up 2.3% in 2026, not as bad as the 11.4 percent spike in 2022 but not great considering how expensive groceries are right now. “It is very likely we’re going to see food prices continue to increase,” David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University tells AARP. Here are seven grocery store predictions shoppers need to know for 2026.
Beef Prices Will Go Up
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Beef prices will continue to rise, analysts predict, with U.S. cattle herds at a historical low. “When you add that to strong consumer demand for beef, you have supply constraints,” Ortega says. “Prices have nowhere to go but up.”
Coffee Shortages
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Coffee bean shortages mean coffee, which is already very expensive, will most likely continue to go up in price this year. “Most of the (retail) price increases we’ve seen so far are not in response to tariffs. (They’re) associated with the record high (raw bean) market that we’ve been in since last year,” independent coffee analyst Christopher Feran told Reuters.
Cocoa and Chocolate
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Chocolate prices show no signs of going down, having more than doubled since 2024. “It is likely that cocoa prices will remain high at least through the next crop year ending September 2026 given the current record cocoa supply deficit,” according to a 2024 report from Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute.
Eggs Are Stabilizing
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Eggs are becoming affordable again after years of high prices. “The average price of eggs — a frequent stand-in for inflation during the campaign — have declined from a spring 2025 peak and is now down 30% since Trump took office last year,” says NBC News.
Orange Juice Going Up
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NBC News also reported that orange juice prices are up 28% compared to January 2025. Minute Maid is also discontinuing its frozen juice concentrates. “We are discontinuing our frozen products and exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences,” The Coca-Cola Co., which owns Minute Maid, said in a statement.
Ground Beef
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Ground beef prices continue to rise, up 15.5% from a year ago. “Drought and rough economic conditions have left the nation’s cattle herd at its smallest level since 1951 at the beginning of last year,” economist Michael Szanto told FOX Business.
Steel Cans
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Steel can prices continue to rise, jumping 16% over the past year, according to government data on wholesale prices. “Manufacturers are paying more for their packaging material,” Jason Miller, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, told ABC News. “Prices are going up.” This will impact grocery prices across the board.
