David L. Ortega
@dlortega.bsky.social
Food Economist | Professor and Noel W. Stuckman Chair in Food Economics and Policy at Michigan State University | Venezuelan 🇻🇪
New York’s city-run grocery store plan combines two different goals: expanding food access and lowering grocery prices. Food economist @dlortega.bsky.social argues the second deserves closer scrutiny. Read ⬇️ www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-city...
Zohran Mamdani's Promise and the Reality of Supermarket Prices
An economist explains what food really costs and why.
vitalcitynyc.org
Food affordability remains a top concern for many Americans. The Center for American Progress is out with a new report looking at one potential solution, but economists are weary.
Can price caps bring down grocery bills?
A new proposal suggests freezing prices on staple foods — but economists warn price controls could bring shortages and other unintended consequences.
marketplace.org
Are #Walmart customers getting overcharged for misweighed meats? A Georgia man's TikTok series has gone viral showing mislabeled meats that led some shoppers to be charged more than double. Read my @usatoday.com story. www.usatoday.com/story/grocer...
Are Walmart customers getting overcharged for misweighed meats?
A Georgia man has gone viral on TikTok for finding mislabeled meats at Walmart that could lead to shoppers being overcharged.
usatoday.com
The government has an inflation-busting meal idea: “It can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla and one other thing.” WSJ reporters hit grocery stores to look for a meal as described at that price. 🔗 on.wsj.com/4qX5FH2
“An agenda that Americans were told would lower prices has instead pushed them higher, creating an affordability crisis just in time for the holidays,” writes @dlortega.bsky.social, a food economics and policy professor at @michiganstateu.bsky.social, in an op-ed.
Op-ed: What Affordability Really Means for Families and Farmers This Holiday Season
Tariffs, immigration policies, SNAP cuts, and more are raising food prices and grocery bills. Americans deserve better.
civileats.com
White House launches “Media Bias” tracker and dashboard 👀 www.whitehouse.gov/mediabias/?q...
Media Offenders
Explore the Media Bias Tracker that fact checks and holds Fake News accountable. False claims debunked, Hall of Shame for serial offenders, Leaderboard of networks ranked by Repeated Lies. Stay inform...
whitehouse.gov
U.S. shoppers spent significantly more because everything costs significantly more.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 9mo agoBreaking News: U.S. shoppers spent significantly more online this Black Friday than last year, seizing on deals despite inflation and economic worries.
Again, as with all the other federal budget cuts that are incinerating 20-25% of the funding & the entire budget model of every R1 university in 🇺🇸, this is a five-alarm emergency that requires immediate, loud, collective condemnation by our university presidents. Total 🦗 as it’s all being gutted.
Talking turkey prices with my friends at @pbsnews.org 🦃🍂
Bird flu and another disease have shrunk the U.S. turkey population to a 40-year low this year.
Stores keep prices down in a tough year for turkeys. Other Thanksgiving foods may cost more
Bird flu and another disease have shrunk the U.S. turkey population to a 40-year low this year. Wholesale turkey prices are expected to be up more than 40% as a result.
bit.ly
Wholesale prices for a turkey have jumped 40% from a year ago. n.pr/4phUXtP
Thanksgiving could be more expensive this year. Here's how to navigate higher prices
Wholesale prices for a turkey have jumped 40% from a year ago.
n.pr
KARL: The president claims that Thanksgiving costs are down 25%. Does he know that's not true? HASSETT: Well if you look at Walmart-- KARL: Wait a minute. I've gotta stop you. The Walmart package this year contains much less than the one last year. That's why the price is less.
Brooke Rollins says on Newsmax SNAP participants will have to re-apply for the program. Details are still unclear. via Grace Yarrow for @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits
The move is part of USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ effort to overhaul the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and get rid of “fraud.”
politico.com
Ahead of Thanksgiving, many families, and the grocers who serve them, face tough choices. Delays in #SNAP payments strain budgets and ripple through communities. I spoke with @nytimes.com about what’s at stake for families and food retailers. 👇
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 9mo agoThere’s growing concern among grocery stores, restaurants and food producers, as some economists say the lapse SNAP payments is likely to cause lower-income households to scrutinize their spending more.
Food prices since Trump took office
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 10mo agoTrump lies shamelessly: "Every price is down."
Food economist here 🙋🏽♂️ would like to disagree and point out that grocery inflation since Trump took office has accelerated relative to the preceding months. Also those price increases for coffee, ground beef, chocolate, bananas, and canned goods in recent months? That’s in large part the tariffs!
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 10mo agoQ: Food prices are still going up. Grocery prices are still going up. How do you respond? MIKE JOHNSON: All of the economist have shown that food prices always go up. There's an inflationary level that's built in to grocery prices.
We crunched the federal data and found the US is on track to have the *fewest inspections since 2011* (excluding pandemic years). In recent years, the FDA has typically been able to conduct ~110 foreign food inspections each month, but in March, the number of inspections dropped almost in half.
We’ve made America so great that I just booked a backup rental car for my weekend return flight home. 🙄
*checks price data* Wholesale turkey 🦃 prices 40%🔺y/y Retail beef roast 🥩 prices 18%🔺
SCOTUS skeptical of Trump’s tariffs during oral arguments today.
Since the president took office, food prices have increased 1.7% 📈 Groceries are up 1.6% 🔺 Menu prices are up 2.5% 🔺
The Lincoln Project@lincolnproject.us · 10mo agoTrump denies grocery prices are up and then says people will be fine because "their 401ks are up." (Nearly half of Americans have no retirement savings)
Chocolate prices are scary high this Halloween 🎃🍫📈 Cocoa costs have surged to record highs after years of poor harvests in West Africa — where most of the world’s cocoa is grown. The result? Smaller bars, more fillers, and higher prices.
