In the US, food prices rose record: what and how much has risen in price

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics said that in April 2020, food prices rose 2,6%, which is the largest monthly increase in this indicator since February 1974, that is, over 46 years. пишет Fox News.

The Consolidated Consumer Price Index, published May 12, states that the price increase was wide and applied to all six major groups of grocery products in the Home Food Index, with each group showing a price jump of at least 1,5% compared to the end Martha.

In particular, the price index for fruits and vegetables increased by 1,5%, as did the price of dairy products and “related products”. Non-alcoholic beverages rose 2,9%, as did cereals and bakery products, with the latter showing the largest monthly growth of all time. But it was the main group - meat, poultry, fish and eggs - that showed the largest jump in prices in April, increasing in price by an average of 4,3%.

What exactly has risen in price and how much

We analyze the growth of costs from the point of view of the average buyer.

Breakfast

If you are used to starting the day with scrambled eggs or omelettes, get ready to pay more for them. Egg prices rose 16,1% last month.

Breakfast cereals went up by 1,5%, milk, bread and juice - by 1,5%, 3,7% and 3,8%, respectively.

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Jamming stress from high prices with sweets also became quite unprofitable. Donut prices rose 5% last month, while muffins rose 4,7%.

What is breakfast without coffee? The cost of this drink has also increased. Grain coffee rose in price by 1,2%, instant coffee - by 2,5%.

Dinner

US-made ready-made soups in cans will now cost 2,6% more.

If after lunch you like to treat yourself to sugary, harmful snacks and drinks, then you will now have to pay 4,5% more for sparkling water than it was in March, and cookies in April increased by 5,1%.

But let's try to quarantine healthy food. For example, fruits. Their prices rose by an average of 1,5%. More In total, apples (4,9%) and oranges (5,6%) rose in price. The cost of all citrus fruits increased by 4,3% (thanks to the myth about the treatment of COVID-19 with lemon).

Dinner

Meat prices rose by an average of 3,3%. Pork went up by 3%, chicken - by 5,8%. The cost of fresh fish increased by 4,2%. Sausages jumped 5,7% in price.

Fresh vegetables rose by 1,5%, canned - by 3,6%.

Feeding the baby has also become more expensive. Baby food prices jumped 2,7% in April.

Reasons for the rise in price

Supermarket prices are rising sharply because the coronavirus violated food supply chains: when restaurants closed, Americans started cooking at home, and food demand rose sharply. But producers and farmers were not able to quickly transfer their food supplies to grocery stores, which created a shortage and led to higher prices, explains CNN.

The imbalance between supply and demand became even stronger when workers in meat processing plants began to become infected with coronavirus. Meat producers had to close factories across the country, and now the US is experiencing a shortage of meat, which also leads to higher prices for this product.

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Panic buyers also added fuel to the fire. They acquire many products of long-term storage, thereby creating an increased demand for them. In response, some grocery stores put limits on the quantity of scarce goods in one hand, while others raise prices for such goods. In addition, many retail outlets shift some of the rising costs to consumers to cover the higher costs that they have faced due to higher prices from suppliers.

Some good news

If you are looking for food that you can save on, there are several options for food that has become cheaper during the quarantine period.

For example, ham prices fell 1,7%, oil fell 1,3%, and ready-made salads fell 3,6%. In addition, the price of tomatoes fell - by 1,4%