But US consumers aren’t only taking a financial hit from this summer’s extreme heat by way of their electricity bills. Shoppers could soon have to pay much higher prices for fruit and vegetables as farmers shoulder higher growing costs from the heat, a reversal of a trend seen over the past year with the cost of fruits and vegetables dropping by 1%, according to June Consumer Price Index data. For the rest of this summer, consumers aren’t likely to see markedly higher prices for seasonal fruits like blueberries because contracts with distributors and retailers tend to be worked out in advance, he said. Climate change, he said, is causing his business to suffer financially with reduced crop yields. However, the steep costs to make that switch could also contribute to higher prices consumers pay for produce.

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Persons: It’s, Tom Avinelis, ”, Avinelis, Tom Avinelis “, Mohamed bin, Kumaraswamy Ponnambalam, Ponnambalam, coauthors, Henry Gordon, Smith, it’s, Gordon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Foods, Costco, Safeway, CNN, Atlantic Council, University of Waterloo, University of Artificial Intelligence, “, Smart Agriculture, Columbia University Locations: New York, Fresno , California, Willamette, Oregon, California, Ontario, Canada, University, Abu Dhabi, Santa Maria , California