Your grocery bill just went up, and sugar is to blame. 

Jamaica has officially rolled out its new sugar tax, and shoppers are already seeing the impact at the supermarket. 

The government is now charging 22 cents per gram of added sugar in drinks.  It’s expected to raise about 10 billion dollars in its first year, while also pushing people to cut back on sugar.

But here’s what’s really happening: Companies are not absorbing that cost. They’re passing it straight on to you.

Across the board, major manufacturers are raising prices.

GraceKennedy increased prices by about 9 percent.  Seprod is up between 3 to 8 percent.  And some products from Wisynco Group have jumped by hundreds of dollars.

Manufacturers say they can’t absorb the tax, especially with higher fuel costs, rising wages, and more expensive packaging. 

And this doesn’t stop at soda.  These companies produce a wide range of products, so this could quietly push up prices across your entire grocery bill.

This means more pressure on household budgets, especially for lower-income families who already spend a bigger share of their income on food. 

So yes, the government may collect more taxes.  But in the short term, it’s consumers who are footing the bill.  Unless of course, you cut back on those sugary drinks.

And that’s the bottom line.