How Southern California restaurants and farmers are coping with rising produce costs

CBS News California Investigates How Southern California restaurants and farmers are coping with rising produce costs: "We don't want to raise prices" .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-cbs-news-losangeles.jpg'); } By Kristine Lazar, Kristine Lazar Kristine Lazar is an Emmy award-winning consumer investigative reporter for CBS LA. Read Full Bio Kristine Lazar, Amy Corral Amy Corral National Investigative Producer Amy Corral is an award winning investigative journalist based in Los Angeles. She joined CBS News & Stations as a national investigative producer in 2022. Read Full Bio Amy Corral May 21, 2026 / 7:58 AM PDT / CBS LA Add CBS News on Google Produce prices are climbing sharply across Southern California, with tomatoes leading the surge as farmers, restaurants and consumers struggle to absorb rising costs tied to tariffs, fuel and transportation expenses.The price of fresh fruits and vegetables is expected to increase nearly 5% this year, according to industry estimates. Tomatoes alone are up 23% compared with a year ago, while grocery prices overall have risen 2.9% year over year.At the Santa Monica Farmers Market, Alex Frecker of Frecker Farms in Carpinteria, said the cost of doing business has become increasingly difficult to manage."Prices are definitely going up," Frecker said. "Wholesale prices are up maybe 25% from what they were last year."Frecker said many of the farm's materials come from China and are now subject to tariffs, adding that boxes and baskets are more expensive.Fuel prices have also added pressure. Frecker said his farm operates seven vehicles and travels regularly between Los Angeles and the Central Coast to attend 14 farmers' markets each week."We're driving back and forth from LA many times a week and most of our trucks are all diesel," Frecker said. "Diesel prices are the highest they've been since I've been driving." Although Frecker has raised prices, he said there is a limit to what...