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Although inflation has cooled markedly since U.S. prices surged during the pandemic, high food costs continue to give consumers a stomachache.
Food prices, which outpaced overall inflation for much of last year, rose in December at an annual rate of 3.1%. That remains significantly above the 2.7% for all goods, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data. On a monthly basis, food prices rose 0.7% last month — the largest jump since September 2022.
"December's CPI report reinforces that price pressure is edging higher across key consumer product categories that matter most to consumers," Rob Holston, EY Global and Americas consumer products leader, said in a report.
CPI tracks the rate at which prices rise over time. But consumers' perception of food costs is more likely to be influenced by the prices they see on the store shelves. People pay for groceries on a more regular basis than other expenses, with a trip to the supermarket a frequent reminder that food is pricier than it used to be, said David Ortega, a professor and food economist at Michigan State University.
"We come into contact with food prices much more than we do other prices in the economy," he told CBS News.
The rise in food prices in Tuesday's CPI reading is being driven by certain food categories like beef and coffee, which have hit record highs, according to Ortega. CBS News' price tracker shows that overall food prices have jumped nearly 19% since January 2022.
American households spent $310 more on groceries in 2025 than in 2024, a recent report from the Democratic members of the Joint Economic Committee found.
Just a few of the staple items that have gotten more expensive, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis:
Ground coffee cost $9.05 per pound in December 2025 (up from $6.78 December 2024)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-prices-pain-point-december-cpi-date/
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Chew on this: U.S. food prices are up 19% since 2022