53 Funny Memes That Perfectly Capture Our Love For Eating

Walking through grocery aisles these days, it’s hard not to feel sticker shock. Prices for everyday staples seem to jump every week, and it’s not just in your imagination. Globally, the cost of food has been climbing steadily, influenced by a mix of factors like geopolitical tensions, ongoing wars, climate disruptions, and lingering health crises.

Supply chains are stressed, shipping costs are up, and extreme weather events have damaged crops in multiple regions. For shoppers, this means budgeting more carefully, reconsidering their favorite brands, or even changing what they put on the plate each week.

In Canada, prices for imported food began rising earlier in 2025, partly due to the significant depreciation of the Canadian dollar in late 2024. But the numbers get even more striking when you look at specific items. Coffee, a morning ritual for millions, jumped 31% from December 2024 to December 2025, while chocolates and candies climbed 14%. These surges were fueled by supply shortages caused by extreme weather, trade tariffs, and inflationary pressures across the board.

Across Europe, shoppers are feeling the squeeze too. According to Eurostat, food prices in the European Union rose by 2.8% in 2025 compared with the previous year, but some items went up far faster. Certain staples, like meats, dairy, and confectionery, saw inflation hit 10% in some regions. It’s a ripple effect: as prices climb, consumers make tough choices about what to buy, how often to shop, and what substitutions to make.

On a global scale, the trends are eye-opening. Forbes reports that food prices have jumped 25% since 2021, while food consumption volumes have declined by over 5%. In 2025 alone, grocers sold 13 billion fewer units of product than in 2021, showing that shoppers are buying less even as prices climb. Rising costs aren’t just an inconvenience—they’re changing habits, from meal planning to grocery lists, and influencing what people cook at home.

Some of the most commonly consumed items have been hit the hardest. Beef, soft drinks, eggs, milk, salty snacks, and coffee (ranked among the top 10 most popular grocery categories) have seen an average price increase of 60% since 2019. Unit sales for these items have dropped slightly, by 1.3%, signaling that people are buying less even as they pay more. Back in 2019, a basket of these essentials cost $36; by 2025, that same basket would set shoppers back $56. It’s a clear illustration of how inflation is directly affecting daily life, turning routine grocery trips into careful budget exercises.

Europe’s inflation story is particularly detailed. Of 64 commonly tracked food items, eight actually saw prices fall, and one remained stable. Everything else recorded a price increase of some kind in 2025 compared with 2024. The three highest spikes were chocolate, up 17.8%; frozen fruit, 13%; and beef and veal, 10%. Other notable jumps included eggs at 8.4%, butter at 8.3%, lamb and goat at 7.2%, and sugar, jam, and honey at 6.8%. Even fresh whole milk, a daily staple in many households, rose 5.7%.