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Grocery prices jump 8.5 percent compared to last year
July 20th, 2008, 2:00 am · 7 Comments · posted by Kristine Lu
Food prices continue to creep upward, according to the latest quarterly survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation and new government data.
The farm group said the total cost of 16 basic grocery items in the second quarter of 2008 was $46.67, up about 3.5 percent or $1.64 from the first quarter of 2008. The informal survey looked at 16 items, 14 of which had increased in price. Only two items decreased in cost since the first quarter.
The overall cost of the items surveyed showed an increase of about 8.5 percent compared to last year.
“Prices of many food items continue to creep upward,” said Jim Sartwelle, a farm bureau economist. “Those increases, however, pale in comparison to the huge increases in energy costs—for fuel, natural gas, and electricity—that American families have become accustomed to over the past two or three years.”
The farm report, which reflects national prices, comes as the new government data shows that Southern California shoppers continue to face higher grocery bills. In June, food prices in Orange and Los Angeles counties went up 4.9 percent, compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the monthly Consumer Price Index. Those numbers were released earlier this week.
Below is the list of food prices surveyed by the farm bureau:
| Item | Current price | Increase in Price |
|---|---|---|
| 32-oz. bottle corn oil | $3.48 | $0.47 |
| 32-oz. bottle vegetable oil | $3.01 | $0.38 |
| 1 lb. bacon | $3.57 | $0.22 |
| 5-lb. bag of flour | $2.57 | $0.18 |
| Whole fryer chickens (per lb.) | $1.47 | $0.12 |
| 20-oz. loaf of white bread | $1.90 | $0.12 |
| Ground chuck (per lb.) | $2.85 | $0.12 |
| Pork chops (per lb.) | $3.40 | $0.09 |
| 5-lb. bag Russet potatoes | $2.55 | $0.08 |
| 1 gal. of whole milk | $3.88 | $0.07 |
| 32-oz. jar of mayonnaise | $3.19 | $0.05 |
| Sirloin tip roast (per lb.) | $3.84 | $0.04 |
| 9-oz. box toasted oat cereal | $2.98 | $0.01 |
| 1 dozen large eggs* | $1.82 | decreased $0.34 |
| 1 lb. cheddar cheese* | $4.60 | decreased $0. |
*Grocery items decreased
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July 20th, 2008 at 10:18 am
My friends asked me why are you buying all that food for your freezer last winter. Now you know the rest of the story.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
We need a super walmart in OC
July 20th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I second that Mike. The folks in Garden Grove got their panties all in a bunch when a super Walmart tried to open on Chapman & Brookhurst. I guess we won’t see one of those in OC anytime soon.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:07 am
Seems like fruits and vegetables have increased by more than the figure quoted.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:22 am
To Shaun92. I have a feeling in this current economic environment, their panties won’t bunch up as much. I heard somewhere that Walmart is planning to add expanded groceries sections to some stores in OC.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:18 am
mike and shaun92, i couldn’t disagree with you more. lowering our living standards and increasing low paying jobs is not what we should be hoping and striving for. higher paying jobs, raises for current workers, etc is what we should be fighting for. why acquiesce? what is expanding wal-mart, making them larger, and introducing groceries going to do? sure it’ll give you ‘cheaper’ groceries in the short term but then we’ve accepted and be saddled with a lower standard of living for all of us. you do realize they have to pay workers next to nothing to give you those ‘cheaper’ groceries, right? and what happens when wal-mart expand and hires MORE low wage workers? yours and their standard of living goes down, more of our tax dollars go to emergency room care for these low paid workers, etc.
advocate higher wages, a raise for you at work, and higher quality benefits for workers. don’t advocate for low-wage jobs, ‘cheaper’ groceries, etc.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 am
Nick, with all due respect, I diagree. Our economy is much too dynamic to depend on the high salaries of grocery store workers. If I spend less on groceries, I will have have more to spend on other sectors or our economy. Thats just simple math. Sure everyone needs higher salaries but its much harder with global business competition and limited resources. Something has to give, its just a sad reality of our times.