The Consumer Price Index for food, a marker of food inflation, rose 0.2 percent in August, the same increase as in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This stagnation helped bring down the index’s 3.7 percent increase for the 12 months ending August, which beat out July’s 3.2 percent year-over-year increase. The consumer price index measures consumer goods prices tracked over time.
Food at home prices increased by 0.2 percent in August after rising by 0.3 percent in July. Tracked over the 12 months ending August, it rose by three percent. This indicates a more gradual increase than food away from home’s 6.5 percent growth over the same period, signaling a slight acceleration of inflation for dining out.
Across major grocery food groups price fluctuations diverged: The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.8 percent in August and pork increased 2.2 percent; however, the dairy and related products decreased 0.4 percent over the same period, as did fruits and vegetables and nonalcoholic beverages, which all declined by 0.2 percent over the month.
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