The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is predicting seafood prices will rise faster than their historical average in 2026.
The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS)’s February 2026 Forecast is predicting overall food prices will increase 3.1 percent this year. That average is split between food-at-home prices, which are projected to increase 2.5 percent, and food-away-from-home prices, which are projected to increase up to 3.7 percent.
Notably, prices in seven of the 15 food-at-home categories – including fish and seafood – will rise faster than their 20-year historical average, the USDA said.
In addition to seafood, products like beef and veal, other meats, processed fruits and vegetables, sugar and sweets, cereal and bakery products, and nonalcoholic beverages, will rise faster than other sub-categories of food.
However, the projected 2.5 percent increase for overall food-at-home prices is slower than the 20-year historical average of 2.6 percent, the agency said.
While the USDA is expecting minimal grocery price increases this year, groceries are around 30 percent higher than they were in January 2020, with the typical family of four spending more than USD 1,000 (EUR 849) per month on groceries, according to The Center for American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan policy institute.
Nearly four in five Americans say food prices are higher than they were a year ago, with half saying prices are much higher, according to recent CAP polling. Additionally, 76 percent of Americans say groceries are a major cost pressure – greater than utilities, health care, or housing.
“President Donald Trump’s tariffs have pushed up prices for key imports – including coffee, tea, and cocoa; fish and seafood; fruits; and meat – relative to pre-tariff trends,” the organization said in a release.
CAP recommends providing immediate relief to Americans through a negotiated, temporary price cap on a core basket of essential grocery items — the “Go-To Grocery List” — to allow wages to catch up with elevated food prices, it said in its report, “Stopping Sticker Shock at the Grocery Store: A Plan To Make Food More Affordable,”
Holding the core basket of goods flat for two years could save families an estimated USD 134 (EUR 114) per year on average, based on CAP modeling.
It also proposes increasing competition and protecting consumers and producers by cracking down on price discrimination, surveillance pricing, restrictive land covenants, and alleged price-fixing in highly concentrated food sectors.
CAP also believes that U.S. farm and food policy should be modernized to strengthen supply chains, support farmers, and reduce vulnerability to future shocks driven by climate change, disease outbreaks, and global disruptions.
