US grocery prices poised to climb as soaring fuel costs drive…

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorHere is the one-sentence version: the Financial Times says grocery prices in the U.S. look set to climb because fuel costs are soaring.

2. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo gas goes up, and somehow my cereal gets the bill. How does that work?

3. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorFood travels. It rides on trucks from farms to warehouses to stores, and when diesel costs more, someone has to cover it.

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAnd that someone is me, at the register.

5. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorPotentially, yes. The report frames it as fuel costs driving inflation, and it says the pressure lands on household budgets directly.

6. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentDirectly. Not even a scenic route.

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   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorNow, how did we get here? Fuel is a cost that hides inside almost everything, so when it rises, it spreads quietly.

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSpreads where? Give me the aisle.

9. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorEvery aisle. Tractors burn it, trucks burn it, and the freezer case behind the ice cream runs on energy too.

10. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the frozen peas have a fuel bill.

11. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThey do, and so does the bag they come in. The store is basically a gas station with better lighting.

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    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWho does this hit hardest?

13. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorAnyone who shops weekly on a tight budget, since groceries are the one bill you can't skip. Families feel it first.

14. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIs there another side to this? Like, is anybody saying it won't be that bad?

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    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorOur data only has the one report, so I won't invent a rebuttal. How big the increase gets is not clear yet.

16. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the honest answer is maybe.

17. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe honest answer is poised. Prices are poised to climb, which is a word for a cat on a counter.

18. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThen the glass hits the floor.

19. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorWhat to watch next is fuel itself. If it keeps rising, shelf prices tend to follow, and if it eases, the pressure eases.

20. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo watch the gas pump, then watch the cereal aisle.

21. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThat's the one-sentence version again: what it costs to move food is climbing, and your grocery receipt is where it shows up.

22. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentGood to know. My midnight snack delivery fee is the one honest fuel charge I've ever paid.