Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 4/25/16


Prices for food eaten at home and food away from home are expected to climb this year, according to USDA’s latest Consumer Price Index for food (CPI) report.

The agency noted that prices for meats, poultry and fish consumed at home combined are expected to climb between five-tenths of one percent and 1.5 percent from 2015 levels this year. Beef prices — historically high for the last few years — should decline by between 1 percent and 2 percent during 2016, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reported. Pork prices should either drop 0.5 percent or move higher by 0.5 percent this year. Poultry prices for home consumption are expected to rise between 1 percent and 2 percent in 2016, the agency reported.

The outlook is somewhat less rosy for food prices away from home, which are expected to climb by between 2.5 and 3.5 percent this year. Prices away from home rose 2.9 percent in 2015 and the 20-year historical average of 2.7 percent falls within the range of the USDA’s latest prediction.

The ERS report added that the cost for all food, including fruits, vegetables, baked goods and nonalcoholic beverages, is expected to rise by between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent in 2016.

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