After a year of this thread, I can clearly say that prices are increased but it is yet to be doubled in my region. Governments are increasing tax rates at the time of Pandemic not it is getting added to the actual price of the products and it will increase further when the new normal begins.
Which country you are residing in? Even if the tax rates are increased, that should not have much impact on the food prices. Because the governments almost never increases the tax on agricultural products. However, increasing oil prices may cause additional expenses in transporting food products. Here in my country there has been no increase in the food prices. We are paying the same rates that we used to pay before the pandemic.
Certain Imported and factory made foods increased by about 10—50% where I live. But prices of agricultural produce from local farmers seem to remain thesame or increased a bit. I honestly don't worry about the increase in factory made foods because lots of them are contain ingredients that are harmful to people.
I prefer to see people buy more fresh organic fruits/veg like tomato rather than the heavily processed factory-made ones. People need lots of healthy foods to handle the global disease better. Interestingly, the bad foods price seem to increase in the pandemic while the good ones remains very affordable for people to use for their health... That is what I would likely do to the food market until the bad food completely disappear.
it's the prices of fresh fruits and veggies that increased in my country. it varies in the provinces and to the National capital region where there is a middleman that hoard the products making the prices higher. factory made products are very much controlled by the government afaik there is mandate that the companies won't increase the price.
its not going to be prevented and over time prices will just go up when production costs are high as well. and the pandemic is not helping anyone.