When will the Iran war hit food prices?

The US-Israel war in Iran is already being felt by American consumers at the gas pump, but when — and how badly — could it be felt at the supermarket? <br /><br />Today on the show, a food economist takes a crack at forecasting just how much our grocery bills could increase in the coming months, and which items will take the biggest hit. <br /><br />The Indicator has a weekly newsletter! Be among the first to sign up now: <a href="http://npr.org/newsletter/indicator" target="_blank">npr.org/indicatornewsletter</a> <br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: <br /></strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/04/08/nx-s1-5776781/how-are-drivers-riding-out-the-gas-crisis" target="_blank">How are drivers riding out the gas crisis?</a> <br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/04/15/nx-s1-5785228/think-the-oil-shock-is-bad-in-the-us-look-here" target="_blank">Think the oil shock is bad in the US? Look here</a> <br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>.</em> <em>Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. </em><em>Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a>, <a href="http://npr.org/indicatornewsletter" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>. </em> <br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>