Why have tomato prices surged nearly 40% in a year?

Tomatoes are the latest popular food to take a bite out of consumer wallets, joining items like coffee , bananas and beef . As of April, government data shows the fruit's prices were up nearly 40% from a year ago, compared with 17% for food costs overall. Across the U.S., tomatoes cost an average of $2.69 a pound, a record high, according to Federal Reserve figures . By comparison, coffee prices in April had risen 18.5% from the trailing 12 months, ground beef had jumped 19% and seafood was up 12%, labor data shows. Several factors are driving up tomato prices, David Branch, sector manager at the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, told CBS News. The U.S. in July imposed a 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes after withdrawing from a three-decade-old trade agreement that enabled duty-free tomato imports from Mexico. Although scuttling the deal benefited American farmers, consumers are feeling the pain. U.S. tariffs collected on tomatoes have surged from just $16,424 in 2024 to nearly $4.6 million, according to federal data. In 2025, nearly 90% of U.S. tomato imports came from Mexico, Branch noted. "Because the U.S. relies on Mexico for the majority of its tomato supply, any changes in trade policy can have a large impact," added Brett Massimino, a Virginia Commonwealth University business professor. Bad weather and disease are also indirectly pushing up tomato prices by hurting production in Mexico and Florida, reducing supplies. …