Food prices continued to increase slightly in July, moving up 0.2% following June’s 0.1% increase, according to the latest CPI report.
Food at home
The food at home index rose 0.3% during the month of July after no change in June. Four of the six major grocery store food groups saw increases. Notably, the index for dairy and related products, which had been declining over the past four months, increased 0.5% in July.
Price changes for the other major grocery store groups included:
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: +0.5% (-0.4% in June)
Fruits and vegetables: +0.4% (+0.8% in June)
Other food at home: +0.2% (-0.2% in June)
Cereals and bakery products: unchanged (+0.1% in June)
Nonalcoholic beverages: unchanged (-0.1% in June)
The food at home index increased 3.6% during the past 12 months, with price changes ranging from -0.2% (meats, poultry, fish, and eggs) to +7.0% (cereals and bakery products).
Food away from home
The index for food away from home rose 0.2% in July, with both full service and limited meals also increasing 0.2% for the month.
Over the past 12 months, the index for food away from home rose 7.1%. The index for full service meals went up 5.8% during this period, and the index for limited service meals increased 7.1%.
