Tomato prices spike nationwide ahead of Illinois growing season

CHICAGO (WBBM) Tomatoes are becoming one of the fastest-rising grocery costs in the country, with prices up roughly 40% over the past year according to recent Consumer Price Index data.

That increase outpaces many other grocery staples, including coffee, up about 18%, beef roast, up nearly 18%, and frozen seafood, up roughly 12%, according to national inflation data.

Experts point to a combination of tariffs on Mexican tomato imports, higher shipping costs tied to conflict in the Middle East, and difficult weather conditions impacting crop production.

For Chicago, tomatoes are central to everything from pizza and pasta sauce, to tacos and traditional Chicago style hot dogs. The higher prices are hitting one of the country’s biggest food cities. Earlier this year, Food & Wine ranked Chicago the second-best food city in America in its 2026 Global Tastemakers Awards.

“Our tomatoes are so good that everybody buys them anyway,” said Todd Nichols, second-generation owner of Nichols Farm in Marengo.

Nichols grows tomatoes and delivers them straight to people's homes, restaurants, as well as farmers markets, including Green City Market, Evanston Farmers Market, Andersonville and Oak Park. While his farm is less dependent on long-distance shipping than major suppliers, he says rising costs are affecting nearly every part of farming.

“Labor is more expensive. Materials are more expensive. Fuel is more expensive,” Nichols said.

The U.S. recently withdrew from a deal allowing duty-free tomato imports from Mexico, which supplies much of America’s tomatoes. Imported tomatoes are now subject to a 17% tariff.

Nichols says Illinois tomato season typically begins in late July and peaks in August, which could help ease prices later this summer as more local produce reaches markets.

Still, tomato farming remains highly vulnerable to weather swings.

“One rainstorm can ruin an outdoor crop,” Nichols said.

Nichols says supporting local farms also supports local workers and businesses throughout the region.

“Most all the money you spend in a local farm goes right back into our local economy,” Nichols said. “Everyone that works for us spends their money at your business.”