Food prices rose 0.5% in November, according to the latest CPI report. This follows a 0.6% increase in October. 

Food at home

The food at home index rose 0.5% during November, and prices for four of the six major grocery store group indexes increased. The index for fruits and vegetables had the largest monthly increase at 1.4% after dropping 0.9% the previous month. The index for cereals and bakery products rose 1.1% during the month of November after a 0.8% increase in October. 

Price changes for the other major grocery store groups included:

• Dairy and related products: +1.0% (-0.1% in October)
• Nonalcoholic beverages: +0.7% (+0.5% in October)
• Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: -0.2% (+0.6% in October)
• Other food at home: -0.1% (+0.9% in October)

The food at home index increased 12.0% during the last year. Cereals and bakery products and dairy and related products were tied for the largest increase during this time at 16.4%. The other groups increased anywher from 6.8% (meats, poultry, fish, and eggs) to 13.9% (other food at home).

Food away from home

The index for food away from home rose 0.5% in November after increasing 0.9% for three consecutive months. Full service meals increased 0.4% after October’s 1.1% increase, and limited service meals increased 0.6% after rising 0.8% in October.

The food away from home index rose 8.5% over the past year. The index for full service meals increased 9.0%, and the index for limited service meals had a 6.7% increase.