With the recent repeal of tariffs on more than 200 food products, including staple products like coffee and beef, by President Donald Trump, many American consumers face high prices at the checkout during their Thanksgiving grocery shopping this year because of underlying inflationary forces and supply chain bottlenecks.
Present Thanksgiving Groceries Price Environment
– The current economic challenges have increased the prices of groceries in the country by about 2.7 percent per year.
– The major typical Thanksgiving foods such as turkey and stuffing, and cranberry sauce are still more expensive than the usual seasonal prices.
– Beef related cost This is still high with ground beef being close to 13 percent higher than it was in the previous year, and steaks are about 17 percent higher influenced by tariffs and market factors.
Impact of Tariff Rollbacks
– The tariff rollback, which Trump had instituted on November 14, 2025, eliminated tariffs on 236 foodstuffs, in an effort to lower the price of products mostly inaccessible in the US market, such as coffee, bananas, beef, and several fruits and vegetables.
– The tariff rollbacks were to address the inflation issues and supply chain pressure and the political intention was to relieve consumer prices in the run up to the holiday season.
Still, numerous tariffs are to be maintained on other goods including tomatoes, which makes price relief across all categories of goods slow to affect the entire market.
Expected Relief Timeline
– The tariff removals were announced late in November, but retail prices generally are slow to change as supply chains and inventories are re-established.
– Coffee prices that shot 21% on tariffs and weather troubles in Brazil will slow down slowly towards the Christmas season.
– Producers and retailers caution that any price cuts will be small in the short term and larger in the early 2026.
Reactions Within the Industry and the Market
– Tariff cuts, on the whole, were received with enthusiasm in the food industry as a viable move to reduce expenditure on imported products to facilitate production and retail of goods.
– The CEOs of National Restaurant Association and Consumer Brands Association were optimistic that relief of tariffs would stabilize the menu prices and consumer costs and they would boost local businesses.
-But there are also sellers who point to remaining inflation due to transportation, manpower crunch and input prices as reasons why it cannot cut prices at once.
Coffee Specially: The New Relief Frontier
– Coffee, which was highly affected by tariffs, droughts, and scarcity of supply in the last few years, caused unprecedented price increase in 2025.
– The tariffs placed on coffee beans and imports of major suppliers such as Brazil will probably be removed, and the prices will stabilize in the wholesale and retail market when the supply streams resume normalcy.
– The leaders of the National Coffee Association predict that the prices of a morning cup of coffee consumed by consumers will be lower in a few months, which will be a relief to many households that will encounter increased living expenses.
Summary Table
| Item | Price Change (YoY) | Tariff Status | Expected Relief Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | +21% | Tariffs removed | Gradual easing by Christmas |
| Beef | +13% (ground beef) | Partial tariff removal | Mixed relief, slower effect |
| Traditional Thanksgiving Items | Elevated | No tariff adjustments | Limited near-term relief |
| Overall Groceries | +2.7% | Tariff rollback on 236 items | Weeks to months |
Source
FAQs
Q1: Why is the price of Thanksgiving grocery in the market high even after tariffs are rolled back?
Costs are still increasing due to dynamic inflation, supply chain problems and certain residual tariffs.
Q2: What will be the impact of the tariff eliminations on the prices of grocery?
They will save expenses on most imported foods, yet relief in prices will be slow.
Q3: What is the time when coffee prices will reduce?
The coffee prices will go down slowly to around the Christmas season and this will be advantageous to the consumers.
Even though tariffs on most food items are currently removed, shoppers during the Thanksgiving season are advised to anticipate higher prices in the short term, and much greater relief to the situation in the future when the forces of the market will be adjusted.
