When I went grocery shopping a few days ago, I couldn’t help but notice that the prices were much higher than just a few weeks earlier, during the pre-coronavirus era. In fact, the overall price of groceries jumped 2.6% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . This was the largest percentage increase from one month to the next since February 1974!
(Sorry, I wanted to write about something non-coronavirus related this week, but it’s difficult since EVERYTHING has been impacted by the pandemic.)
Have you seen your local grocery prices on the rise? Or have they been stable? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section toward the bottom of this page.
Food Prices Increase
The price of meat, eggs, poultry, and fish were most impacted, rising 4.3%. In particular, the price of eggs jumped more than 16% from March.
The cost of cereal and bakery products increased by 2.9%, the largest surge ever. Dairy and related products, as well as fruit and vegetables, saw a 1.5% increase in price.
According to CNN Business, prices at the supermarket are sharply rising because coronavirus has disrupted the food supply chain: When restaurants shut down, Americans started cooking at home, and demand for groceries shot up. However, food producers and farmers didn’t have the ability to quickly shift their food deliveries to grocery stores, according to CNN Business.
And, as seen from the purchase information you’ve been sending NCP, many people have been stocking up; more demand and less supply = higher prices.
Other Prices Decrease
But on the other hand, prices on certain items and services have dropped during the pandemic, as can be expected as many have been sheltering at home. Apparel, hotels, cars, car insurance, and airfare are just a few of the things that have seen price decreases, according to CNN Business.
And certainly everyone is seeing that gas prices are much cheaper – that is, if you’ve even filled up recently. (The last time I bought gas was, I think, on March 12, two months ago. And I still have half a tank left!) Check out the average gas prices in your state: gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages
The Stats
Here’s a look at some of the recent price changes of groceries , in just one month(!!), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
| Product | % increase (from March to April, 2020) |
| Eggs | 16.1% |
| Milk | 1.5% |
| Bread | 3.7% |
| Juice | 3.8% |
| Breakfast cereal | 1.5% |
| Doughnuts | 5% |
| Muffins | 4.7% |
| Roasted coffee | 1.2% |
| Instant coffee | 2.5% |
| Soup | 2.6% |
| Carbonated beverages | 4.5% |
| Cookies | 5.1% |
| Overall fruit | 1.5% |
| Apples | 4.9% |
| Oranges | 5.6% |
| Overall citrus fruits | 4.3% |
| Meat | 3.3% |
| Pork | 3% |
| Chicken | 5.8% |
| Fresh fish | 4.2% |
| Hot dogs | 5.7% |
| Vegetables | 1.5% |
| Canned vegetables | 3.6% |
| Baby food | 2.7% |
| Ham | -1.7% |
| Breakfast sausage | -0.3% |
| Butter | -1.3% |
| Prepared salads | -3.6% |
| Fresh cupcakes | -2.3% |
| Tomatoes | -1.4% |
I hope you are staying safe!
Best Regards,
Taylor
I believe grocery prices a starting to level off a bit. Also I’ve noticed it’s easier to buy things like bathroom tissue and paper towels. Meats and fish products are more affordable now as well. However, it is still somewhat difficult to buy things like alcohol and sanitizing products.
I have noticed the increases and at this time gas is back up
Stocked up before knowing about Covid-19, Recent visits to grocery stores revealed substantial price increases .
The price for fresh meat has increased over $1 per pound. Ground chuck or sirloin price increased by $2 a pound in one week Some stores have a limit of 2 packs of each type of meat. Packs of ground meats averaged 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds. Thankfully I don’t have a large family. Fresh produce and dairy increased. I have seen a decrease in price for grapes and strawberries.
I bought a bag of potatoes last week and when I arrived home I checked my receipt, it cost 5.99. I noticed a pack of 3 chicken breast was over 8 dollars(guess they were raised at the county club). I put the pack back down. I do not pay over 5 dollars for chicken breast. Normally I can do a big cart of groceries for about $80 now I have been tipping over $100.
Yes, me too. Being on a fixed income, the check doesn’t go near as far as it once did. Groceries are out of sight!…price wise. I’ve seen plain hamburger at $8 for a 1 lb package. This isn’t sirloin, it’s regular ground beef.
1 agree. There have been very few, if any sales, price increases are insane. For instance General Mills breakfast cereal is always on sale this week I went it was $4.99. I usual get 2-3 for that price. I’ve noticed that gas had went down but since they’re phasing the prices are starting to rise again.
I have recently been shopping for groceries. I noticed that the price for steak, pork chops and chicken has increased.
Hi,
Great post. I have always cooked at home, sometimes order out to take a break but I have seen an increase in eggs and ground beef in my area Carroll county, Maryland. However, since I am a coupon person and use apps like for safeway and shoppers where they have 5 off if you spend 50 or 10 off if you 50 at shoppers, I usually combine that with meat clearances they have saving a nice chunk of change. I don’t shop for everything in one store. My grocery trip for a 2 week supply and stocking up includes going to Aldi for veggies and some items, Walmart for eggs and milk still the cheapest, food lion, giant, Weiss, Shoppers, and Safeway. I do my household items at CVS. This has always helped us with price and availability of product even during these times. Yes, it is extra work but all the stores are close to each other and the savings are worth the effort.
Yes, this virus has really turned everyone’s lives around… One would think, well it won’t affect my family or myself. But then you realize it’s a domino effect! Maybe not for today it won’t bother you… but it can the next time. We’re all in this together in one form or another, we ALL have and need to help another. Thank you, take care hopefully everyone to be safe.
I completely agree. At first I wasn’t noticing the price hike because I was just happy to find my favorite granola bar or toilet paper!! Then when the hysteria died down a little is when I started realizing not only that prices were going up, also stores were monopolizing on their own brand of products. For instance at Walmart I could only find their brand of tissues, I couldn’t find my normal “Kleenex with Aloe” that my snooze prefers. I collect my receipts for websites like NCP sonI can recall the prices of items and I noticed that they raised the prices. Even products which were normally “price locked” like a 6 pack of soda had went up by 50 cents. Consumers aren’t noticing or not caring during this pandemic as long as they are still getting the essential products. All it took was that original scare of having nothing to wipe your butt with and it shook us!! There has also been many great things that have come out of this pandemic as well though. I believe as an economy we are now realizing we take things for granted. Small things like getting a haircut, our nails done, 2 day shipping from Amazon even seeing our families are all things we should honor and cherish!!!
It somehow seems to me that my groceries are costing me about 25% more than normal. It could be due to the fact that not only have prices increased but I am more limited on where and when I do my shopping as I get certain sales from certain places but going too many places at the moment makes me a bit uneasy..
It seems like before all this happened there where way more items on sale, now there are very little items on sale compared to before, so that can bring grocery prices up as well. I have seen a few more things on sale in the past week or so, but not much.
The meat prices in our area are out of control. You can’t find hamburger for less than $5.00 /lb.
I belive that the supply chain is being impacted but supermarkets, like Safeway, have deliberately increased prices and reduced deals and coupons. This is the same issues that impact gasoline prices. When oil futures price goes up, you see a very quick increase in gasoline prices at the pump and take forever to come back down. You will see a similar effect on prices on groceries, specially meats and vegetables throughout summer grilling season. The real question is why? Since the 60s food processors have reverted to monopolistic attitudes; we now have 4 large meat processor in the country solely responsible for that task. When an outbreak impacts a processing center, a vital link in the supply chain is broken. Hopefully the government will step in and enforce anti-trust laws so that food processing will be more localized rather than regional. In the event that a link breaks in the future, other links can pick up the slack.
I can’t wait until this virus is over so i can buy what i want
I’m in shock. I stopped by a store here in central Missouri, that has been a big part if my whole life. I went by the meat section and hamburger, not chuck, is now 9.68 a pound!! I know I can’t afford that. I was almost sick physically. God help all of us.
I saw these weeks a big increase in groceries. I am buying the exact same things and sometimes even less or changing brands to the ones on sale, and even with, that I am spending almost 30% more. It’s crazy!
Thank you for the article! Very interesting see the different percentage of increase in different articles.
Totally agree ????%
Also, trip to markets, etc., are more frequent because markets still have limits. I have big family, so one dozen of eggs will be good for 2 days.
But, we are all safe! Thank you & God Bless!!