:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-94859884-d6864e514b88493cb0c82b2642e536d3.jpg "Your Favorite Spices May Get a Bit More Expensive Soon. Here’s the Reason Why")
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Key Takeaways
- Spice and seasoning companies, including McCormick and B&G Foods, are raising prices, the companies said on recent conference calls.
- Company leaders say they’re charging more because of tariffs and higher ingredient costs.
Spicing up your leftovers may not save quite as much dough as it used to.
Herb and seasoning giant McCormick & Co. (MKC) is raising prices on the consumer goods segment of its business, executives said on a conference call Thursday. The move comes just months after McCormick increased prices to help cover some of the cost of tariffs, CEO Brendan Foley said.
“We have some pricing that we put in place, targeted and surgical, in 2025,” Foley said, according to a transcript made available by AlphaSense. “But we also have additional pricing to come on, beginning in February.”
The Maryland-based company expects price increases to drive a greater share of growth in 2026 than it did in 2025, CFO Marcos Gabriel said on Thursday’s call. McCormick hasn’t fully passed along the cost of tariffs, he said. McCormick declined to comment when asked which products will cost more, and by how much.
Why This News Matters to Investors
Consumers have been focused on saving by searching for deals, stocking up on well-priced items and cooking from scratch. Those on a budget may not have many alternatives to paying more for spices and seasonings.
Other flavor specialists are also pushing up prices, with executives citing tariffs and the rising cost of ingredients like garlic and black pepper on recent conference calls. Still, the roughly $2.9 billion U.S. seasoning and spice market is expected to grow, according to Mordor Intelligence. It could hit $4 billion by 2030 as a multi-cultural population develops more eclectic tastes, the market research group said.
Consumers started seeing higher prices in October for spice and flavoring products from B&G Foods (BGS), the parent company of Dash, Ortega, Accent and Spice Islands, CEO Kenneth Keller said on a conference call in November. B&G Foods didn’t respond to Investopedia’s question about the size of price increases in time for publication.
International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), which partners with food and beverage manufacturers, also bumped up prices, the company said on a call in November. The company declined to comment.
Americans are increasingly value-focused, but higher spice prices haven’t—and aren’t expected to—dramatically impact flavoring sales for an extended period of time, Foley said. Consumers still see cooking at home as a money-saving strategy, he said.
“Consumers, especially low-to-middle income households, continue to make more frequent trips to the store while purchasing fewer units per trip,” Foley said. They’re taking steps to stretch their budget, and Foley said, related “behaviors reinforce the importance of flavor in everyday cooking, with herbs and spices continuing to lead center-store unit consumption.”
