Food prices near all-time highs

Mar 21

Staples hover around recently set record prices, eggs lead the surge

By Forrest J.H.

Grocery shopping remains a painfully expensive chore.

Most staple foods followed by Oven Light Journal are near their highest-ever prices, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent numbers.

Egg prices jumped most significantly between January and February this year, according to the Bureau, but they are nowhere near their record price, contradicting the general state of staple foods. A dozen eggs last month cost an average $3.00, down from its record price of $4.82 set last year. At that time, a Purdue University economist attributed the anomalously expensive eggs to a bird flu outbreak.

Many staple foods have hit record high prices and hovered in the past couple years.

As of last month, all other foods tracked by Oven Light Journal are within 3 percent of their highest ever prices.

While the price of rice stayed the same since January, bread, milk, tomatoes and chicken are down slightly. The cost of flour, bananas and beef is up slightly.

###

This article’s ingredients

Bureau of Labor Statistics data finder

Consumer Price Index – Average Price Data

https://beta.bls.gov/dataQuery/find?st=0&r=20&s=popularity%3AD&fq=survey:[ap]&more=0

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Graphics for Economic News Releases

https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-average-price-data.htm

Soaring US egg prices put pressure on consumers, businesses

By Josh Funk

January 10, 2023

Associated Press