The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.6 percent in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 7.5 percent before seasonal adjustment.
Increases in the indexes for food, electricity, and shelter were the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase. The food index rose 0.9 percent in January following a 0.5-percent increase in December.
The food at home index increased 1 percent over the month after rising 0.4 percent in December. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in January. The index for cereals and bakery products increased the most, rising 1.8 percent over the month. The
index for other food at home increased 1.6 percent in January, while the index for dairy and related products rose 1.1 percent. The fruits and vegetables index rose 0.9 percent over the month, and the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index increased 0.3 percent. The only grocery store group index not to increase in January was the index for nonalcoholic beverages, which was unchanged.
The food away from home index rose 0.7 percent in January following an increase of 0.6 percent in December. The index for full service meals and the index for limited service meals both also rose 0.7 percent over the month.
The food at home index rose 7.4 percent over the last 12 months. All of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the period. By far the largest increase was that of the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, which rose 12.2 percent over the year. The index for dairy and related products increased 3.1 percent, the smallest 12-month increase among the groups.
The index for food away from home rose 6.4 percent over the last year, the largest 12-month increase since January 1982. The index for limited service meals rose 8.0 percent over the last 12 months, and the index for full service meals rose 7.1 percent. The index for food at employee sites and schools, in contrast, declined 46.9 percent over the past 12 months, reflecting widespread free lunch programs.
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