• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

FinanceInflation

From Head & Shoulders to KitKats and Evian, inflation is coming to the grocery aisle as companies pass on rising costs

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 22, 2022, 8:22 AM ET

With soaring inflation piling pressure on corporate profit margins, many companies have decided to pass on rising costs to consumers who are already seeing their own spending power squeezed.

In the U.S., inflation hit a 40-year high in the 12 months leading up to March, reaching 8.5%. Many other countries are also facing spiraling inflation—the euro zone’s inflation reading for the year to March was a record 7.4%, while the U.K., grappling with its biggest cost-of-living crisis in decades, saw inflation hit 7% in the same period, marking the country’s highest inflation rate since 1992.

As investors monitored a flurry of corporate earnings this week, a raft of companies said they would continue hiking product prices to mitigate the impact of surging costs.

Mark Schneider, CEO of Swiss food giant Nestlé, said in the company’s earnings report Thursday that although total sales rose by 5.4% in the first three months of 2022, “cost inflation continues to increase sharply, which will require further pricing and mitigating actions over the course of the year.”

Nestlé is the maker of countless popular consumer staples, including KitKat bars, Nescafé coffee, and Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

Meanwhile, consumers are already paying more for products made by Danone, which include Activia yogurt, International Delight coffee creamer, and Evian bottled water.

While the company scored year-on-year net sales growth of 7.1% in the first quarter of the year, it warned this week that ongoing supply disruptions continue to make its operating environment highly volatile. Danone, which said it had been able to achieve sales growth even while raising its prices, added that pricing actions would continue to be part of its strategy to ensure its 2022 guidance was met.

This week, P&G—which manufactures household staples including Head & Shoulders shampoo, Olay skin care, Oral-B toothpaste, and Pampers diapers—said that in the three months to March, price increases of 5% across the board helped P&G achieve organic sales growth of 10% from a year earlier.

Paint maker AkzoNobel also said this week that it would continue to pass on cost headwinds to consumers through the course of the year.

“Pricing initiatives more than offset the increase of raw material and other variable costs,” the company said in its earnings report on Thursday. “AkzoNobel aims to continue to offset raw material and other variable cost inflation (including freight) through pricing initiatives.”

Heineken, which said Wednesday that “assertive pricing” had helped it achieve net revenue growth of 24.9% in the first three months of the year, told investors it would continue to raise its prices.

“Looking ahead, we see more macroeconomic uncertainty and expect significant additional inflationary headwinds putting further pressure on our cost base,” CEO Dolf van den Brink said. “We will take additional actions including pricing to manage these challenges.”

Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg, told Fortune on Friday that while companies have little choice but to pass costs on to consumers, households may soon be forced to evaluate their spending habits.

“Faced with soaring utility bills and higher [gasoline] costs, some consumers will likely cut back on purchases of non-essential goods,” he said.

Schmieding noted, however, that many consumers built up extra savings during the pandemic.

“Governments supported their incomes while lockdowns restricted their ability to spend. I expect consumers to dip into these savings, especially for vacations and other activities that they missed during the pandemic,” he added. “So it could be a very mixed picture, less spending on some nonessential goods, more spending on holidays and similar activities.”

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Mortgage rates today, May 18, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, May 18, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 18, 2026
53 minutes ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for May 18, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for May 18, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 18, 2026
53 minutes ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for May 18, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for May 18, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 18, 2026
53 minutes ago
Top CD rates today, May 18, 2026: Lock in up to up to 4.20%
Personal FinanceBanks
Top CD rates today, May 18, 2026: Lock in up to up to 4.20%
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 18, 2026
53 minutes ago
While Detroit blinked on EVs, the Iran war has handed Chinese automakers the opportunity of a lifetime
North AmericaAutos
While Detroit blinked on EVs, the Iran war has handed Chinese automakers the opportunity of a lifetime
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 18, 2026
2 hours ago
Markets are jittery as the global oil crisis bleeds into a global debt selloff, while Trump weighs new military options on Iran
EnergyOil
Markets are jittery as the global oil crisis bleeds into a global debt selloff, while Trump weighs new military options on Iran
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
15 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
21 hours ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.