The easiest and once-most economical packed lunches are getting more expensive, at a time when parents face 40-year high inflation.
Back-to-school season is taking a toll on parents’ nerves — and their pocketbooks. And they now face another financial challenge: Lunch meats are getting more expensive.
The price of ham rose 9.2% in July year over year, while bacon, breakfast sausage and similar products were 11.7% more expensive. An avian flu outbreak earlier this year that affected all kinds of poultry produce — including eggs and turkey breast — also adversely affected the market for lunch meat. Prices overall are on the rise. The consumer price index rose 8.5% on the year in July, down from 9.1% in June, the government reported earlier this month.
Parents change their buying habits Consumers are purchasing items like canned tuna, chicken and even beans instead of deli meat, Walmart CFO John David Rainey said in an earnings call last week. Walmart was not immediately available for comment. While part of the program was extended by a bill President Biden signed into law this summer, the universal free school meals were not extended and ended before the upcoming school year. This means the system will go back to how it operated before the pandemic.
As schools reopen after the summer, “making sure kids aren’t hungry at school is a huge concern for a lot of families,” Johnson told MarketWatch.
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