Why did grocery prices rise so much?

Comment “Groceries” and we’ll send you the full video. There are two ways to talk about rising prices. One is political: blame greed, accuse businesses, and search for villains. The economic way asks a better question: what pushed demand up or held supply back? Prices rise when more dollars chase the same goods, when production costs increase, when supply chains break, when trade barriers raise input prices, or when regulations make it harder for competitors to enter and serve consumers. That matters because grocery stores operate in a world of thin margins, intense logistics, perishable goods, labor costs, energy costs, transportation, land-use rules, and constant competition. If we want cheaper groceries, we need to understand what is distorting supply and demand.