Food prices were unchanged during the month of April, according to the most recent CPI report. This marks the second consecutive month of no change.
Food at home
The food at home index decreased for the second month in a row, falling 0.2% in April after March’s 0.3% decrease. Four of the six major grocery store food groups saw a decrease during the month. The index for dairy and related products decreased the most at 0.7%, with milk experiencing its largest decrease since February 2015 (-2.0%).
Price changes for the other major grocery store groups included:
Cereals and bakery products: +0.2% (+0.6% in March)
Other food at home: +0.2% (+0.4% in March)
Fruits and vegetables: -0.5% (-1.3% in March)
Nonalcoholic beverages: -0.1% (+0.2% in March)
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: -0.3% (-1.4% in March)
Over the past 12 months, the food at home index went up 7.1%. Cereals and bakery products had the largest increase during this time period (+12.4%), while the other grocery store food group increases were anywhere from 2.0% (fruits and vegetables) to 10.4% (other food at home).
Food away from home
The food away from home index rose 0.4% in April, following a 0.6% increase in March. The index for limited service meals increased 0.6%, and the index for full service meals rose 0.1%.
The index for food away from home increased 8.6% during the past 12 months. The index for limited service meals rose 8.2%, and the index for full service meals increased 7.2% over the period.
