Parents Gripe: 'We Just Keep Throwing Money at Berries'

Parents who feel like they're hemorrhaging cash on strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries aren't imagining it. Berries have shifted from the occasional summer splurge to an everyday staple for kids, and the price tag has followed, reports the Washington Post. The annual strawberry supply per person has more than tripled since 1980; blueberry supply per person has soared from ounces to pounds; and half the berries eaten in the US in 2021 came from imports, largely from Mexico, Peru, and Chile. Yet they're far from a bargain: A pound of strawberries costs roughly six times as much as bananas at the same weight, with a single pound of strawberries a week running about $170 a year before even adding blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries to the cart.

The "going broke on berries" joke that some parents are telling, though, masks a real affordability issue: A small survey of parents by Hustle last fall found that the average monthly expenditure on berries was $53, with some families spending upward of $200. Recent CDC data show that kids in higher-income families eat strawberries on a given day at nearly double the percentage of those in lower-income households, a divide that has widened even as consumption rose for all, per the Post.

Nearly a third of Hustle respondents said their kids could scarf down an entire berry container in just one day. "We just keep throwing money at berries," one mom told the outlet. Parents are now using calculators that tally lifetime berry spending, and are building routines around guarding grocery bags from too-eager kids, per the Post. Pediatricians say the obsession is nutritionally positive—better than processed snacks, as berries boast fiber and vitamins—but they warn about potential tummy troubles from excessive fiber and choking risks for younger kids.