The Typical Brown Bag School Lunch Costs 50 Cents More This Year, and It’s a Perfect Example of How Little Daily Costs From Inflation Add Up to a Big Expense

Inflation, particularly in food prices, is hitting families hard when it comes to packing school lunches. Groceries like bread, ham, lettuce, condiments, apples, and juice have seen prices rise between 3.5% and 8.9% compared to last year, making brown bag staples notably more expensive. Assuming a rough 10% increase in ham sandwich supplies plus sides, the cost of each day's packed lunch is about 50 cents more this year than last year, which translates to an additional $90 per child over the course of a 180-day school year.