Food prices rose 0.9% in April after March’s slightly higher 1.0% increase, according to the most recent CPI report.
Food at home
The food at home index increased 1.0% over the course of the month. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased during this time, with dairy and related products seeing their largest monthly increase since July 2007 at 2.5%. The index for non-alcoholic beverages had a significant increase of 2.0% over the month.
Price changes for the other major grocery store groups included:
- Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: +1.4% (+1.0% in March)
- Cereals and bakery products: +1.1% (+1.5% in March)
- Other food at home: +0.7% (+2.0% in March)
- Fruits and vegetables: -0.3% (+1.5% in March)
The food at home index has increased 10.8% over the past year, the index’s greatest 12-month increase since November 1980. All of the major grocery store food indexes increased over this time, with increases ranging from 7.8% for fruits and vegetables to 14.3% for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.
Food away from home
The food away from home index rose 0.6% in April after March’s 0.3% increase. The index for full service meals rose 0.9% (+0.7% in March), and the index for limited service meals rose 0.3% after declining in March (-0.2%).
The food away from home index has increased 7.2% over the past year. The index for full service meals went up 8.7% during this time period, the largest yearly increase since the creation of the index in 1997. The index for limited service meals rose 7.0% over the past 12 months.
Food at employee sites and schools fell 30% with the continuation of widespread free lunch programs.
