NEW HAVEN, CT— Connecticut grocers and public officials warned Thursday that tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are poised to hit food prices hard, threatening to send grocery bills soaring across the state.
At Edge of the Woods in New Haven, where crates of fresh produce greet customers at the door, the concern is immediate.
“We had like a COVID peak, people were panicking, because they don’t know what the future is going to bring,” a store representative said during a press event with Sen. Richard Blumenthal and the Connecticut Food Association.
Fredina Mendez, a shopper from New Haven, stood near the apples. “I’ll get the apples and it goes a long way, so I’ll take the portion, give it to him,” she said. “Do the best we could with what we have.”
Connecticut families are already paying more at the checkout line. According to the Connecticut Food Association, grocery costs in the state have jumped more than 20% over the past four years.
Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association, described how the tariffs would ripple through stores.
“It will hit when you walk in the produce,” Pesce said. “Then will hit you in the bakery, it will certainly going to hit you in the meat aisle and then it’s going to hit you in the center of the store. There’s not an area of the store where these tariffs aren’t going to impact some of the products these people purchase.”
Blumenthal warned that consumers would feel the effects quickly.
“The people of CT and America, they will see higher prices on the shelves, anywhere from 5% to 30% or more, especially with fresh produce,” he said.
The Yale study cited during the event estimated the average American household could face $4,700 in additional annual costs due to the tariffs.
Although the policy aims to boost domestic manufacturing, Blumenthal cautioned that basic food realities remain unchanged. “The U.S. is not all of a sudden going to start growing coffee, bananas and other produce,” he said, pointing to the country’s climate limitations and reliance on imports.
Many of the goods under threat pass through China, even if sourced elsewhere.
“All of the coffee that comes from Africa, goes to China first to be processed,” Pesce added. “So now coffee’s going to catch the tariff coming as well because of the incongruity of 145% versus 10%, coffee is going to be a luxury not a daily ritual.”
There is discussion in Washington of reducing the 145% tariff on Chinese goods, but no final decision has been made.
For now, store owners and customers are bracing for the squeeze.
“Things have been expensive,” said Mendez. “I don’t know how much more expensive they are, it’s just something we’ll have to adapt to, there’s nothing we can do.”
