Food prices are continuing to climb, according to numbers released Jan. 12 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the bureau’s Consumer Price Index summary for December 2021, increases were seen in such areas as fruits and vegetables, dairy products and full-service meals, according to a news release.
The CPI for food saw a seasonally adjusted increase of 0.5% in December, according to the release, although that was less of an increase than those seen in the previous three months.
The CPI is a measure of economywide inflation.
Five of the six major grocery store food indexes saw December increases, as well, with fruits and vegetables seeing the highest increase at 0.9%.
The other grocery store index increases were seen in nonalcoholic beverages (0.8%), dairy and related products (0.7%), other food at home (0.6%), and cereals and bakery products (0.4%).
The food at home CPI saw a smaller increase in December at 0.4%, while the food away from home index saw a slightly higher increase at 0.6%.
The index for full-service meals rose 0.8%, and the index for limited-service meals grew 0.6% for the month, the release said.
There were some decreases, however. The CPI for meats, poultry, fish and eggs dropped for the first time in months, falling 0.4% after rising at least 0.7% in June through December 2021. The indexes for beef and pork also declined in December after recent sharp increases.
The all items CPI, which is the overall inflation rate, for the 12 months ending in December rose 7.0% before seasonal adjustment. This was the largest 12-month increase since the period ending in June 1982. Similarly, the 12-month index total for food away from home rose 6.0%, which was also the largest increase in that index since January 1982, according to the release.
Both limited-service and full-service meals also saw an increase over the past 12 months, of 8.0% and 6.6%, respectively. Seeing a significant decrease in the last year, however, to the tune of 49.3%, was the index for food at employee sites and schools, reflecting widespread free-lunch programs, the release said.
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