Food prices saw another uptick in December, with the Consumer Price Index reporting a 0.3% rise, adding to a year of rising costs that ended with a 2.5% increase in food prices overall.
Food at home
After a 0.5% increase in November, the food at home index went up another 0.3% in December.
Four of the six major grocery store food groups showed price increases over the month, the largest being in cereals and bakery products, which reversed its price decrease in November (-1.1%) with a 1.2% increase in December. And as egg prices continued to rise (+3.2%), the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index went up 0.6%.
Changes in the other grocery categories included:
- Other food at home (+0.3%)
- Dairy and related products (+0.2%)
- Fruits and vegetables (-0.1%)
- Nonalcoholic beverages (-0.4%)
Food at home prices increased a total of 1.8% in 2024, with meats, poultry, fish, and eggs prices (+4.2%) and nonalcoholic beverage prices (+2.3%) increasing the most over the year.
Food away from home
Prices for food away from home rose another 0.3% in December, reflecting increases in both limited service (+0.4%) and full service meals (+0.2%).
The food away from home index went up 3.6% over the last 12 months.
