Cold Weather Drives Up Prices

Record setting chills have hit Florida hard this year, leavingfarmers worried their fruit and vegetable crops may freeze in theunseasonable cold weather. And that could mean bad news for our groceryprices here in New England.

While growers in Florida arestruggling to protect their crops, there's plenty of orange juice onstore shelves. But some produce may soon become more difficult to find.

"Thebiggest concern we had was for strawberries, tomatoes and potentiallycitrus fruit," said Jewel Healy of Whole Foods in Cranston, Rhode Island

Coldweather has plunged deep into Florida, threatening a variety of crops.In some areas, this is the coldest air they have seen in two decades.To protect the fruit, farmers turned on the sprinklers to freeze theexterior of the oranges and tomatoes. Most Florida farmers reportminimal damage.

Jewel says they haven't seen much of an impact from the south's deep freeze yet at Whole Foods.

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