Fresno - Filling the cart with food is getting to be as painful as filling your tank.
Food companies blame rising gas prices and bad weather across the country these past couple of months.
Discount food chains, like Food 4 Less and Winco here in the Valley are noticing an uptick, in shoppers.
"Yeah we are getting new customers coming in, they do save money because you have to bag your own groceries," said Jessica Fain, a cashier at Food 4 Less.
For many, bagging your own groceries a small price to pay, when you're trying to stretch your dollar.
"We come here mainly for the price, we have a family of 5 and it's getting difficult to buy enough groceries to feed everyone. Even bagging your own groceries, it's worth it to save money," said Cynthia Harris, a shopper at Food 4 Less.
Employees have also noticed food prices incrementally going up every week.
"5 or 10 cents usually is the average price going up so far," said Fain.
So how much more are we really paying?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the month of January alone the price for fruits and vegetables, up 1.3%, fresh vegetables went up 2.1%, as for meat, poultry, fish and eggs up nearly 1%.
In the past 12 months, overall food prices have gone up more than 6%.
"Fruits and vegetables especially, that makes it hard for people to eat healthy," said Shola Odumosu, a shopper at Food 4 Less.
For many, the grocery tab is one of the few expenses where they can still cutback.
"Health care costs are rising, homes are still upside down, these are very uncertain times," said Harris.
Food companies expect that as gas prices continue to rise, consumers will end up buying fewer items, and going without discretionary items, such as dessert.
Consumer prices are also rising in other countries across the globe.
According to the Office for National Statistics, prices in Britain rose 4% in January.
In China, prices increased nearly 5%.
