Food prices rose 0.8% in September according to the recently released CPI report. This increase is the same as the previous month’s 0.8%. This month is the twenty-second consecutive month of increases.

Food at home

The food at home index rose 0.7%, and all six major grocery store group indexes increased during the month. The index for fruits and vegetables showed the largest monthly increase at 1.6%. This was followed by the index for cereals and bakery products, which rose 0.9%.

Price changes for the other major grocery store groups included:

• Nonalcoholic beverages: +0.6% (+0.5% in August)
• Other food at home: +0.5% (+1.1% in August)
• Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: +0.4% (+0.5% in August)
• Dairy and related products: +0.3% (+0.3% in August)

The food at home index has risen 13% over the past year. The largest increase was seen for cereals and bakery products (+16.2%), followed by dairy and related products (+15.9%). The remaining grocery store groups rose anywher from 9% (meats, poultry, fish, and eggs) to 15.7% (other food at home).

Food away from home

The index for food away from home rose 0.9% in September, the same as the increase for August. Limited service meals rose 0.6% over the month after a 0.7% increase last month, and the index for full service meals increased 0.4% after increasing 0.8% last month.

The food away from home index rose 8.5% over the past year. The index for full service meals increased 8.8% and the index for limited service meals went up 7.1%.