The cost of a loaf of bread in California reached $10.99 in November 2024 because of a minimum-wage increase.
A rumor that the cost of bread had reached $10.99 in California, allegedly because of a minimum wage increase, circulated widely on social media in November 2024.
However, there was no evidence that bread reached $10.99 per loaf in California. A search for wheat bread on the website for Ralphs, a supermarket chain with 20 locations in Los Angeles, showed options ranging from $1.69 to $5.99. Likewise, no credible news outlets reported on the alleged price increase.
According to the state of California's Department of Industrial Relations website, the statewide minimum wage was $16 per hour as of Jan. 1, 2024. However, in April 2024, a new law increased the minimum wage for employees of fast food restaurants to $20 per hour.
As reported by The Associated Press: "The law applies to restaurants offering limited or no table service and which are part of a national chain with at least 60 establishments nationwide. Restaurants operating inside a grocery establishment are exempt, as are restaurants producing and selling bread as a stand-alone menu item."
The rumor originated with a Facebook post by America Loves Liberty -- part of the America's Last Line of Defense, a network of websites and social media pages that describes its output as being humorous and satirical in nature. The introduction on the page reads: "A subsidiary of the America's Last Line of Defense Network of trollery. Nothing on this page is real."
The "About Us" section of the Conservative Tears website, a subsidiary of the America's Last Line of Defense network, states: "Everything on this website is fiction." Likewise, the image shared on social media was labeled as satire.
The fictional story spread as inflation continued to be a topic of discussion in the United States. Snopes previously investigated claims that inflation reached its highest point ever under President Joe Biden.
America's Last Line of Defense has a history of making up stories for shares and comments. Snopes has addressed other satirical claims from the outlet in the past, including the assertion that McDonald's fired U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris for stealing and a rumor that Taylor Swift lost 30 million followers after endorsing Harris' presidential campaign.