Big Flats, NY (WENY)-- Food prices continue to surge across the country as the COVID-19 pandemic causes supply shortages and delayed shipping.

Paul Minier owns Minier's Supermarket in Big Flats. He says that certain products had higher prices earlier on, but now every food item is catching up.

"Over the past year, when the pandemic started, it was in protein, so like fresh meats prices, so that would cover the meat department and the deli department." Minier explained. ". We didn't start getting into the dry goods increases until the last few months. There were supply issues, but the inflation of the dry goods didn't hit until the last few months."

Minier's is not alone with dealing with the rising cost of food. According to the USDA (website link here) grocery food prices have increased two and a half percent since this time in 2020. Overall, food prices have risen three percent since last year.

The USDA says that this trend is expected to last into next, which Minier's vendors confirmed to him. Grocery store prices are expected to rise an additional one and half to two and half percent.

While Minier says that the cost of a Thanksgiving meal will still close to what it has been in years past, increase pricing will continue in other areas.

"As far as the staples for your Thanksgiving meal, it should be pretty similar, it might be up slightly, but it will be close." Minier said. "Other areas they're definitely increases. We are getting increases in vendors almost weekly. So from bread vendors, to the chip vendors, to the Nabisco's of the world, there are increases coming.

While meat prices remain higher than normal, Minier says that the prices have come down since peaking in the summer months.