A change in contract terms from 1 November mean that some fresh fruit and vegetable prices are spiking, leading to disgruntled military wives. Yet Defense Commissary Agency officials believe that prices will normalize in the long run and contribute some of the increase to normal, seasonal price fluctuations.
At the core of the problem was a budget-cutting move by DeCA officials to save the $48 million a year that it paid to ship fruits and vegetables to 29 commissaries in Japan, South Korea and Guam. Those overseas transportation costs are borne by taxpayers so that military customers have access to groceries of comparable cost, type and quality as commissary patrons in the U.S.
Under the new contracts the government no longer pays to ship the produce overseas. The contractors either get the produce from local sources in these areas, or bear the cost of shipping it from other countries, including the U.S.
And that cost is passed on to commissary customers in those areas.
One military wife posted a picture of a 22-ounce package of Romaine lettuce priced at $10.69.
