‘Quality gets sacrificed for quantity’: Gee laments families struggling with a 33% food price spike

Since 2019, grocery prices have risen 33%, representing the largest spike in food prices over the last 50 years. In the seven years before 2019, food prices only increased 6.4%.

Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, highlighted how difficult it is for families to budget for groceries as prices have risen dramatically, noting that parents often make nutrition the first sacrifice.

“My heart goes out to what is happening when you hear about a 33% spike in groceries over the last seven years,” Gee said. “There’s a work that really nobody talks about: it’s nutrition. A lot of us families are trying to make a budget work, but the first thing we cut is groceries. We cut what’s on the plate. Those fresh berries someone might like, they become canned fruit.

“Those vegetables you were getting at some point have now become Top Ramen,” Gee added. “Lean protein that you’d get at the butcher or at the deli. My point is, quality gets sacrificed for quantity because it’s so important. We’re talking about groceries. This is how I know that we collectively are having a hard time right now in this economy.”

Gee describes how rising costs make every grocery trip a balancing act

Gee explained how high food prices impact everyone, and how exhausting it can be to go into the grocery store knowing you’ll have to cut certain necessities just to stay afloat.

“A lot of times when these conversations come out, have you noticed they’ll come out with things you should do to help your grocery bill be cheaper?” Gee asked. “They need you to coupon, or do all of these things. Sometimes you do those things, and you might save 25 to 30 bucks, but sometimes it’s exhausting. You go in there, and you know the things that you should be getting, but you can’t because of the way everything’s structured.

“In the grocery store, that’s where you are trying to balance the rest of your life,” Gee continued. “This impacts us all. Even if it doesn’t impact you, you might have a family member that’s impacted by this. A co-worker, loved one, friend, neighbor, who is impacted by this. My heart goes out to the youngsters, where it’s a struggle. All of us collectively, together, are having this impact hit us all.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.