Report shows kid lunches could cost more this year thanks to food inflation

Depending on the items you choose, your child's lunch sandwich could cost more this school year than it did in 2024.

That's according to a new report from Deloitte that shows the overall cost of homemade lunches is on the rise. The average cost for a packed lunch is now $6.15, according to Deloitte, up nearly 3% from $5.99 last year. Just under half of the parents polled by the survey said they expect their child's lunch to cost more this September than it did in 2024.

The reason for the price increase, as the Deloitte report points out, is because the cost of groceries has climbed in recent years. Parents are now paying more for staples like whole milk, which is up 7.8% from a year ago, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data for July, as well as for bananas, which are up 7.2%.

The Consumer Price Index report for July, released earlier this week by the BLS, shows that overall grocery prices are up 2.2% compared with last year.

Not all food prices have gone up; in fact, some food items are cheaper this year. In terms of specific lunch items, CBS' price tracker shows that the cost of white bread is actually 6% lower than it was in 2024.

While the cost of American cheese is up 0.7% from July 2024, according to BLS data, it is down 2.6% from last month.

Iceberg lettuce is 3.9% lower in cost than it was a year ago, according to July CPI data, while the price of romaine lettuce is 4.6% higher.

Tomato prices are also down. The fruit commonly consumed as a vegetable cost 7.8% less per pound in July than it did a year ago.

The overall higher sticker prices at supermarkets has been a major pressure point for Americans, half of whom say the cost of groceries is a "major" source of stress in their life right now, according to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

In response to their anticipation of higher lunch prices, caregivers plan to switch from name brands to store brands, choose cheaper sandwich options, and cut down in other household expenses to free up more cash for groceries, according to Deloitte's survey, which polled 1,203 caregivers of school-aged children.

Frugal food shopping in the U.S. has "generally been on an upward trend since October 2024," the report found, though it is still lower today than its peak in 2023.

It's not just brown bag lunches that could end up costing families more. Cafeteria lunches, which tend to be cheaper than brown bag lunches, could also see a price hike this year.

According to Tuesday's CPI data, the price of food at elementary and secondary schools is up 3.3% since July of last year. To account for inflation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last month that it would funnel more money into the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs — which provide healthy, low-cost or free meals to children.

To be sure, not everyone will end up paying full price for cafeteria school lunches. In Deloitte's survey, more than half of respondents said their school offers free lunch, regardless of income.

School meal prices range from $2.95 for elementary school to $3.20 for high school a survey conducted by School Nutrition Association found.