Food Prices

Food Prices

Rick Worthington
Rick Worthington
Food Prices

In the past 12 months, food prices at grocery stores have risen 5.6%, the largest annual increase in nearly a decade.

The severity varies drastically, with beef prices 25% higher than a year ago, while fruits and vegetables are just 2.3% higher.

Carolyn Chelius with the USDA has the food price forecasts for the remainder of 2020.

With so many people working and staying close to home, grocery prices are rising faster than food costs from restaurants and food chains. Since the coronavirus outbreak started in the spring, demand for meat, poultry and fish has been up, and prices for those items are up across the board.

Prices are also up for staples like eggs, bread, dairy items, and fruit and vegetables.

The increase in food prices are largely due to demand, but supply chain problems due to the pandemic have also contributed. Several meat processing plants have been hit by infections and have been forced to shut down or slow production. Farms, have had dozens of workers infected with COVID-19.

The report notes that food prices usually mirror the overall U.S. inflation rate, which is forecast at less than 1% this year, and that it’s restaurant and takeout prices that have typically increased at higher rates than grocery prices.

But, according to the National Farmers Union, the extra money consumers are shelling out for their staples isn't being passed on to producers who grew that food. In fact, the prices farmers are currently receiving are, on average, 4.8% lower than last year.

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