Food prices continue to climb, rising 1.2% in May after an increase of 0.9% in April, according to the latest CPI report.
Food at home
The food at home index increased 1.4% over the last month, marking the fifth consecutive increase of at least 1.0%. All six major grocery store food group indexes rose during the month. The index for dairy and related products rose 2.9%, making this the largest monthly increase the group has seen since July 2007, while the index for nonalcoholic beverages rose 1.7%.
Price changes for the other major grocery store groups included:
- Other food at home: +1.6% (+0.7% in April)
- Cereals and bakery products: +1.5% (+1.1% in April)
- Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: +1.1% (+1.4% in April)
- Fruits and vegetables: +0.6 (-0.3% in April)
The food at home index has increased 11.9% over the past year, the index’s largest yearly increase since the period ending April 1979. All of the major grocery store food indexes increased over this time, with five rising more than 10%. The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index had the greatest increase at 14.2%.
Food away from home
The food away from home index rose 0.7% in May after April’s 0.6% increase. The index for full service meals increased 0.8% during this time (+0.9% in April), and the index for limited service meals rose 0.7% (+0.3% in April).
The food away from home index has increased 7.4% over the past year, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending November 1981. The index for full service meals rose 9.0% during this time, and the index for limited service meals rose 7.3%.
Food at employee sites and schools declined 30.5% as widespread free lunch programs continued.
