Most U.S. adults stressed by grocery costs: poll

Axios

3 hours ago

More than half of Americans are stressed about buying groceries — significantly more than the financial pressure they feel about credit card debt, child care or student debt, an AP-NORC poll out Monday found.
The big picture: President Trump campaigned on a promise to bring down grocery prices, but the data shows Americans are still stressed out about affording these basic necessities.
53% of Americans said the cost of groceries was a major source of stress right now, while 33% said it was a minor source of stress.
Just 14% said the price of groceries was not a source of stress.
The next-highest sources of major stress were the costs of housing (47%), the amount of money saved or earned (43%) and the cost of health care (42%).
The intrigue: 14% of adults in the poll also reported using Buy Now, Pay Later services on groceries, so they could make the immediate purchases and pay for them in installments.
11% said they had used such services, like Afterpay or Klarna, to purchase restaurant meals or meal delivery.
17% said they had used BNPL services for medical or dental care, while 14% had used it for entertainment costs.
Between the lines: Food banks have braced for a surge in need triggered by federal food assistance changes signed into law by Trump, with leaders in the hunger relief network warning the gap may be impossible to fill.
Context: In June, food prices were up 3% compared to the prior year, according to a Consumer Price Index report released last month.