Could Tariffs Affect Your Sustainable Eating Goals?

As national politics fluctuate, reciprocal tariffs may start affecting the price of your groceries. Let’s take a look at how that might change what’s on your plate.

The FDA estimates that our food supply is 85% domestic, 15% imported. However, they estimate 32% of fresh vegetables, 55% of fresh fruit, and 94% of the seafood we eat is imported. Most of the imported fresh vegetables and fruit are ‘out of season,’ like the berries and fresh mango available in the dead of winter.

To lessen the impact on our wallets and the planet, the goal is to purchase foods grown or raised domestically, and the more locally the better. The environmental organization ONE5C suggests first considering what foods are in season. These foods are more likely to be grown closer to home, which also means they’re less likely to have arrived via plane. This Seasonal Food Guide can help you plan your menus around fruits and vegetables that are in season right now in our area. Additionally, signups are already open for community-supported agriculture, and we have few year-round farmers markets operating locally, with more opening for the season in May. 

So can you dodge tariffs by turning to canned options? Well…half of our aluminum is imported, mostly from Canada, so canned foods could be impacted by tariffs, too. And since we don’t do a great job of recycling in the US, we need new aluminum to make new cans. You can look for frozen options for out of season vegetables and fruits, but beware of the amount of plastic packaging.

There’s not much you can do about imported seafood other than to watch for sales, but most of the chicken and beef we consume is raised and processed domestically. In 2021, only 10% of the US beef supply was imported, and it mostly consisted of ground beef, so the price of your all-American hamburger might not be tariff-proof. But, the biggest carbon-stomping move you can make is to reduce the amount of meat, especially beef, you eat. Chicken prices could also be at risk, but from bird flu, not tariffs. And pork is widely imported, so your morning bacon and eggs could become more of a luxury.

In conclusion, tariffs could affect our food prices and choices to eat sustainably, but so can bird flu, and a myriad of climate-induced weather events. The bottom line is we all need to eat, and we can only buy what we can afford. Prices will change based on market supply and demand as always. Your best defense is to plan menus with in-season ingredients, make a list so you only buy what you need, shop local, shop sales, limit beef, and eat leftovers to limit the effects of tariffs and allow you to reach your sustainability goals. And remember to bring your bag!

Want to join us? Email us at environment@lwvchicago.org for access to our next meeting.