After a sudden increase in costs resulting from reckless spending policies during the Trump administration, unbridled corporate greed, and the largest European military conflict since World War II, the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of economy-wide inflation, did not change from June 2022 to July 2022 although it was still up 8.5 percent from July 2021.
The CPI for all food increased 1.1 percent from June 2022 to July 2022, and food prices were 10.9 percent higher than in July 2021.
The level of food price inflation varies depending on whether the food was purchased for consumption at home or away from home:
- The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) CPI increased 1.4 percent from June 2022 to July 2022 and was 13.1 percent higher than July 2021; and
- The food-away-from-home (restaurant purchases) CPI increased 0.7 percent in July 2022 and was 7.6 percent higher than in July 2021.
In 2022, food price increases are expected to be above the increases in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, food-at-home prices are predicted to increase between 10.0 and 11.0 percent, and food-away-from-home prices are predicted to increase between 6.5 and 7.5 percent.
Food prices are expected to grow more slowly in 2023 than in 2022, but still above historical average rates.
In 2023, food-at-home prices are predicted to increase between 2.0 and 3.0 percent, and food-away-from-home prices are predicted to increase between 3.0 and 4.0 percent.
Speculation over potential inflation was initially driven by former President Donald Trump’s broken campaign promise to reduce or eliminate the U.S. national debt, which was just below $20 trillion prior to the 2016 election.
Trump actually increased the national debt considerably, pushing it over $30 trillion amid a reckless spending spree after cutting taxes on corporations and the richest one-percent of Americans.
Trump’s massive spending was plagued with flaws that directed much of the money to the rich while individuals who needed help the most were left behind.
Scam artists also robbed millions of dollars from Trump’s initiatives that were set up with shoddy or nonexistent security controls, as evidenced by prosecutions of at least 100 machinations to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program and other COVID-19 relief fraud schemes.
As the arch-conservative Forbes magazine put it: “Donald Trump is the most fiscally irresponsible president at least in recent American history…and quite possibly of all time.”
Now, President Joe Biden is implementing policies that will rescue the American economy from four years of abject foolishness and not a minute too soon.
Between the 1970s and early 2000s, food-at-home prices and food-away-from-home prices increased at similar rates.
Since 2009, however, their rates of growth have mostly diverged; while food-at-home prices deflated in 2016 and 2017, monthly food-away-from-home prices have been rising consistently since then. The divergence is partly due to differences between the costs of serving prepared food at restaurants and retailing food in supermarkets and grocery stores.
In 2020, food-at-home prices increased 3.5 percent and food-away-from-home prices 3.4 percent. This convergence was largely driven by a rapid increase in food-at-home prices, while food-away-from-home price inflation remained within 0.3 percentage points of the 2019 inflation rate.
The largest price increases were for meat categories: beef and veal prices increased by 9.6 percent, pork prices by 6.3 percent, and poultry prices by 5.6 percent. The only category to decrease in price in 2020 was fresh fruits, by 0.8 percent.
In 2021, food-at-home prices increased 3.5 percent and food-away-from-home prices increased 4.5 percent. The CPI for all food increased an average of 3.9 percent in 2021.
Of all the CPI food-at-home categories tracked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Economic Research Service (ERS), the beef and veal category had the largest relative price increase (9.3 percent) and the fresh vegetables category the smallest (1.1 percent). No food categories decreased in price in 2021 compared with 2020.
The ranges for seven food categories and three aggregate categories were revised upward this month. No food price categories were revised downward.
The large increases in all-food and food-at-home prices in July followed similarly large changes in January through June. These price increases were driven by increases for many products. Prices for six food categories increased by at least 2.0 percent in July.
However, input markets and monetary policy also changed in July, and the energy CPI decreased by 4.5 percent. Prices for many agricultural commodities fell sharply—corn, soy, and wheat prices declined by 8.5, 11.4, and 22.7 percent, respectively, between June and July 2022.
The continuing increases in the federal funds (interest) rate by the Federal Reserve place downward pressure on prices. The effects of these conditions will be closely monitored as they unfold to assess their concurrent impacts on food prices.
In 2022, all food prices are predicted to increase between 8.5 and 9.5 percent, food-away-from-home prices are predicted to increase between 6.5 and 7.5 percent, and food-at-home prices are predicted to increase between 10.0 and 11.0 percent.
Prices for the aggregate category of meats, poultry, and fish increased by 0.4 percent between June 2022 and July 2022. Pork prices increased by 0.9 percent in July 2022, reaching 7.6 percent above July 2021.
Lower pork inventories, combined with strong domestic and international demand, have sustained high pork prices, which increased at the second-highest rate among all reported food categories in both 2020 and 2021. Prices for other meats, which include frankfurters and lunch meats, rose 0.5 percent in July 2022 and increased 15.2 percent between July 2021 and July 2022.
In 2022, pork prices are now predicted to increase between 8.0 and 9.0 percent; other meats prices are predicted to increase between 13.0 and 14.0 percent; the aggregate category of meats is predicted to increase between 8.0 and 9.0 percent; and the aggregate category of meats, poultry, and fish is predicted to increase between 9.5 and 10.5 percent.
Retail egg prices increased 4.3 percent in July 2022, following large increases in April and May, and are 38.0 percent higher than July 2021.
An ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has reduced the U.S. egg-layer flock, as well as the poultry flock to a lesser extent.
This outbreak has contributed to elevated egg prices and increasing poultry prices as over 40 million birds,189 commercial flocks, and 39 States have been affected. Price impacts of the outbreak will be monitored closely. Egg prices are now predicted to increase between 24.5 and 25.5 percent in 2022.
Following large price increases in January through July 2022, forecast ranges for processed fruits and vegetables, sugar and sweets, nonalcoholic beverages, and other foods have been adjusted upward.
Economy-wide factors, including ongoing supply chain issues and higher energy, transportation, and labor costs, have contributed to increases in prices across food categories. However, recent declines in agricultural commodity and energy prices are expected to ease price increases across these categories through the remainder of 2022.
In 2022 compared with 2021, prices for the aggregate category of fruits and vegetables are now predicted to increase between 7.0 and 8.0 percent, processed fruits and vegetables prices between 9.5 and 10.5 percent, sugar and sweets prices between 8.5 and 9.5 percent, nonalcoholic beverages prices between 8.5 percent and 9.5 percent, and other foods prices between 12.5 and 13.5 percent.
You must log in to post a comment.