Supply chain issues, worker shortage blamed for higher food costs in Maine
Food costs are on the rise, and a new report shows Portland has some of the highest food costs in the country.
The report from Move.org shows Portland residents spend about $370 per pers, per month on groceries. That’s the 19th highest in the country.
"It just seems everything is expensive,” Cumberland resident Phyllis Freeborne said.
Bow Street Market meat and seafood manager Adam Tice said everything in the food chain is connected and the result is higher prices for everything.
"It's really a perfect storm for a terrible increase in prices,” Tice said.
Food prices typically go up at the start of the summer in Maine.
It is exacerbated this year because demand for food is up, the supply chain is clogged and there are worker shortages in Maine and elsewhere.
"Don't have enough workers to fill the trucks, to drive the trucks, to pack the goods, to pick the goods,” said Steve Quattrucci, of Monte’s Fine Foods.
Quattrucci said many of the products for the Italian specialty market are imported from Europe, which was hit hard by COVID-19. He said that is having a ripple effect on getting goods to America.
"There's a long list of things from tomatoes, to the water, to cookies, crackers. There's not enough people working in the factories and things are sitting in the ports, there's no truck drivers to pick it up,” Quattrucci said.
Quattrucci added that he has been forced to get his products elsewhere, and often at a higher cost. He said the price of cheese has doubled and 12 strips of bacon sells for $8.99.
Store managers said customers can expect to see prices begin to soften by early fall.