Food Prices Moved Higher In November

The USDA says the Consumer Price Index for Food moved higher in November, rising 0.5% from October to reach levels that are 6.1% higher year-over-year. The level of food price inflation varies depending on whether the food was purchased for consumption at home or away from home. The food-away-from-home, or restaurant purchases, CPI increased 0.6% in November and was 5.8% higher than November of last year. The food-at-home, or grocery store purchases, CPI increased 0.3% from October to November and was 6.4% higher than November 2020.

So far this year, the year-to-date average food-at-home prices have increased 3.1% and food-away-from-home prices increased by 4.2%. The all-food Consumer Price Index combined to jump by an average of 3.6%. The beef and veal category had the biggest relative price increase of 8.7%. The vegetable category saw the smallest jump at 0.9%.

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