Trump’s Plan to Make Groceries More Expensive

Scott Lincicome: “Imports are essential to the U.S. grocery market today, and to its steadily increasing abundance. In 1980, the typical supermarket carried only about 100 different produce items. Selection was limited by North American growing seasons—good luck finding a strawberry in winter—and few Americans had even heard of, let alone tasted, products such as lychee or jackfruit.”

“Today, the variety of produce items has more than doubled, and a stroll through those same aisles reveals an incredible variety. This is thanks to global trade. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 55 percent of fresh fruits and 32 percent of fresh vegetables in the United States are sourced from abroad.”