Reposted by David L. OrtegaVital City @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants City-owned grocery stores to sell food at an average of 30% below market prices. But who ultimately pays to keep those prices low? Food economist David Ortega on Mamdani's grocery stores. 052
Reposted by David L. OrtegaVital City @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social · 19/08/2026New 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...vitalcitynyc.orgZohran Mamdani's Promise and the Reality of Supermarket PricesAn economist explains what food really costs and why. 263
Reposted by David L. OrtegaMarketplace @marketplace.org · 15/03/2026Food 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. marketplace.orgCan 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. 142
Reposted by David L. OrtegaBetty Lin-Fisher @blinfisher.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Are #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...usatoday.comAre 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. 011
Reposted by David L. OrtegaThe Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 16/01/2026The 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 9163
Reposted by David L. OrtegaCivil Eats @civileats.com · 15/12/2025“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.civileats.comOp-ed: What Affordability Really Means for Families and Farmers This Holiday SeasonTariffs, immigration policies, SNAP cuts, and more are raising food prices and grocery bills. Americans deserve better. 032
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 01/12/2025White House launches “Media Bias” tracker and dashboard 👀 www.whitehouse.gov/mediabias/?q...whitehouse.govMedia OffendersExplore 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... 010
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 29/11/2025U.S. shoppers spent significantly more because everything costs significantly more. 030
Reposted by David L. OrtegaMark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Again, 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. 423599
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Talking turkey prices with my friends at @pbsnews.org 🦃🍂 020
Reposted by David L. OrtegaThe Associated Press @apnews.com · 24/11/2025Bird flu and another disease have shrunk the U.S. turkey population to a 40-year low this year.bit.lyStores keep prices down in a tough year for turkeys. Other Thanksgiving foods may cost moreBird 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. 87926
Reposted by David L. OrtegaNPR @npr.org · 17/11/2025Wholesale prices for a turkey have jumped 40% from a year ago. n.pr/4phUXtPn.prThanksgiving could be more expensive this year. Here's how to navigate higher pricesWholesale prices for a turkey have jumped 40% from a year ago. 32278127
Reposted by David L. OrtegaAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16/11/2025KARL: 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. 1929211775153
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 16/11/2025Talking #tariffs and food affordability on CBS Evening News. Rolling back some of the #food tariffs helps ease upward pressure, but prices are downward-sticky. Any relief at the grocery store will take time. 061
Reposted by David L. OrtegaMarcia Brown @marciabrown.bsky.social · 14/11/2025Brooke 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...politico.comTrump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefitsThe move is part of USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ effort to overhaul the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and get rid of “fraud.” 4916299
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 11/11/2025Ahead 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. 👇 110
Reposted by David L. OrtegaSteve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 08/11/2025Here's the promised longer explainer: www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtfstevevladeck.com190. SNAP WTF?A very quick explainer on what (and why) Justice Jackson issued an "administrative stay" in the SNAP case late on Friday night, and on what's likely to happen next 721206456
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Food 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! 1196
Reposted by David L. OrtegaAnnie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · 06/11/2025We 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. 8317108
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 06/11/2025We’ve made America so great that I just booked a backup rental car for my weekend return flight home. 🙄 030
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 06/11/2025*checks price data* Wholesale turkey 🦃 prices 40%🔺y/y Retail beef roast 🥩 prices 18%🔺 1124
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 06/11/2025SCOTUS skeptical of Trump’s tariffs during oral arguments today. 040
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Since the president took office, food prices have increased 1.7% 📈 Groceries are up 1.6% 🔺 Menu prices are up 2.5% 🔺 031
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 27/10/2025Chocolate 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. 140
Reposted by David L. OrtegaDavid L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 25/10/2025Breaking down what’s behind your rising grocery costs with my friends at PBS NewsHour 🛒📈 🔗 Full segment youtu.be/YqIGSdKn184 0167
Reposted by David L. OrtegaNsikan Akpan @monscience.bsky.social · 25/10/2025Since Sept. 1, bird flu outbreaks have wiped out 1.2 million turkeys from farms supplying meat for dinner tables—or 20 times more than at the start of last year's flu season. Egg-laying hens face a similar uptick. I wrote about what this could mean for Thanksgiving, egg prices, and biosecurity. 🧵thinkglobalhealth.orgBird Flu Roars Back: What It Means for Thanksgiving | Think Global HealthSince September, turkey and egg farms have lost millions of birds, renewing pressure on food prices and biosecurity 1147
Reposted by David L. OrtegaAaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 25/10/2025POTUS: - stops $ to buy US farmers' products for hungry Americans shrinking farmers' domestic market - vaporizes US farmers' foreign markets via tariffs - sends billions tax $ to Argentina to bail out Trump donors while Argentina boosts its farmers sales to US farmers' former customers 612957
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 25/10/2025Breaking down what’s behind your rising grocery costs with my friends at PBS NewsHour 🛒📈 🔗 Full segment youtu.be/YqIGSdKn184 0167
Reposted by David L. OrtegaCBS News | Breaking news, top stories & today's latest headlines @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy · 22/10/2025cbsnews.comWholesale turkey prices are soaring ahead of Thanksgiving. Here's why.Wholesale prices for frozen turkeys are expected to be $1.32 per pound this year, a 40% increase from last year's average. 162
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 16/10/2025Great article out today in the NYT on the history of processed and ultra processed foods. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...nytimes.comHow America Got Hooked on Ultraprocessed FoodThey promised convenience and cheap nutrition. But they became one of the greatest health threats of our time. 020
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 11/10/2025Well, well, well... looks like they’re finally catching up. Now do #tariffs 🤔 www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...washingtonpost.comTrump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food pricesU.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document. 072
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 10/10/2025"BLS will publish the September 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time. No other releases will be rescheduled or produced until the resumption of regular government services." www.bls.gov/bls/092025-c...bls.govSeptember 2025 CPI Release RescheduledSeptember 2025 CPI Release Rescheduled 010
Reposted by David L. OrtegaDavid L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 09/10/2025Turkey prices are set to rise this Thanksgiving 🦃🍽️📈 Bird flu and AMPV have hit flocks hard, pushing bird numbers to a 40-year low. Production is ~6% and wholesale prices are 🔺~25% y/y. No need to panic as there will still be plenty of 🦃 in stores, but you may likely pay a bit more this year 💸. 001
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 09/10/2025Turkey prices are set to rise this Thanksgiving 🦃🍽️📈 Bird flu and AMPV have hit flocks hard, pushing bird numbers to a 40-year low. Production is ~6% and wholesale prices are 🔺~25% y/y. No need to panic as there will still be plenty of 🦃 in stores, but you may likely pay a bit more this year 💸. 001
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 06/10/2025The drop in international student arrivals into the US is pretty staggering. Nearly 20% less students traveled to the US this August compared to last year. 🌏 24% drop in students from Asia 🌍 32% drop in students from Africa 001
Reposted by David L. OrtegaWill Masters @willmasters.bsky.social · 05/10/2025The tomato theory of everything 1/3bostonglobe.comWinter is coming. So are tariff-induced price hikes on tomatoes and other produce. - The Boston GlobeA rise in produce prices could be a sign of higher costs to come as President Trump’s tariffs on imported food become more significant. 183
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 02/10/2025Farmers don’t want government payments, they’re looking for access to export markets, and our current trade policy is making that extremely difficult. Also, four weeks is an eternity for soybean farmers. 242
David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 29/09/2025As if high food prices weren’t enough, now even storing your groceries will cost more thanks to the #tariffs www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/r...nytimes.comHome Builders, and Homeowners, Brace for Impact of Kitchen Tariffs 010