Inflation is impacting the cost of lunch

Inflation impacting the cost of lunch

Employees returning back to the office are running into lunch-flation -- a serious increase in the cost of their lunch meals.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - As employees return to the office, the price of lunch has risen.

"Lunch-flation" is what it’s being called. The term describes the sticker shock many employees are experiencing when seeing the prices on pre-packaged lunch items.

We’re talking about salads, sandwiches, and wraps, and for folks who’ve been working from home the last couple of years — the high cost is a real shock.

"This has a lot of people asking ‘do I want to return to work?’ ‘Can I afford to do what I’ve done in the past?’" said Bill Dendy an attorney, CPA, and Raymond James Financial Advisor.

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Over the last year, salads are up more than 10%, sandwiches are up 14% and wraps are up nearly 20%, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Dendy, an economic guru, tells FOX 5 these are the highest prices since 1981. He says the skyrocketing cost is curbing the lunch rush. Combined with gas and inflation affecting other common

items, Dendy says lunch-flation could become an added incentive for people to quit their job requiring in person work and find a new job that allows them to work from home.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates inflation will continue to spike next month due to rising fuel costs.

Strategies to curb lunch-flation include packing a lunch, exploring different stores and brands, and farmer's markets.