Americans To Face Higher Food Prices

Dry stalks of corn, ravaged by drought, stand in a failed cornfield near Colby, Kan., Aug. 24. The record-breaking drought, which has affected more 80 percent of U.S. farmland, is expected to drive up food prices next year. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Without doubt, the most visited stores anywhere in the world are grocery stores and supermarkets. These types of stores have the consumer over a barrel, as no one, rich or poor, can live without food.

Grocery markups have doubled over the past few years, despite certain products having decreased in size or number of items. For example, there used to be 100 teabags in a box, while today there are around 70 bags.

An undated article on the HubPages website explains: “The cost of tomatoes skyrocketed due to various freezes so Heinz and other companies had to raise the price of ketchup. They have also reduced the size of Heinz 57 containers by 11%. However, you may not notice unless you check the bottom of those containers.”