Joe Hernandez
Joe Hernandez is a reporter on NPR's National Desk, where he covers affordability issues with a focus on food and childcare.
He's written about the ways high costs are reshaping the grocery industry, cuts to SNAP and why more grandparents are helping with childcare. Joe has gone on the road for NPR to cover major breaking news stories, such as the condo collapse in Surfside, Fla., and mass shootings in Maine and Buffalo, N.Y. As a general assignment reporter, he wrote about a wide range of topics, including the rise of weighted infant sleepwear, low morale among air traffic controllers and an unpublished John Steinbeck werewolf novel.
Before joining NPR, Joe covered New Jersey for WHYY in Philadelphia and WBGO in Newark, where he reported on the Bridgegate scandal and the first federal corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez. Joe got his start in public radio at WNYC in New York.
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Here's what's behind the fluctuating costs of everyday grocery items such as ground beef, eggs and chocolate chip cookies. -
Agriculture experts say high egg prices were the result of severe avian flu outbreaks, but the Trump administration's tariffs and the war with Iran have also put pressure on farmers. -
Grandparents taking care of their grandkids is nothing new. But the surging cost of childcare in the U.S. has made familial support even more critical for some parents who struggle to afford it. -
The proposal comes weeks before the midterm elections, when food prices and the cost of living are expected to be major issues on voters' minds. -
The Child Care and Development Fund, the U.S. government's main source of funding to help low-income families pay for childcare, serves over 1.6 million children in a typical month. -
Nutrition advocates and public health experts are mystified by the decision to eliminate SNAP-Ed, given the Trump administration's embrace of the Make America Healthy Again agenda. -
A surge of cases of the intestinal illness that causes diarrhea and fatigue has been detected in 34 states. Here's how what to do if you suspect you have it and how to avoid infection. -
Gas prices have fluctuated since the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and left consumers unsure of what they'll pay at the pump. -
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipments of fertilizer and natural gas, a key component in fertilizer manufacturing. It's unlikely to cause major price hikes for U.S. grocery shoppers. -
Personal finance and nutrition experts share simple strategies that make it possible to eat out on a budget. One tip? You might have to let go of your fast food delivery habit.
