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By Jasmine Laws
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Food prices have been soaring over the past 12 months, increasing by an average of 3.1 percent since February 2025, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Every listed food category on the BLS' data record had an uptick in price during period, with notable variations, some rising by only 0.1 percent while others increased by more than 5 percent.
Why It Matters
The issue of affordability in America has been spotlighted across a number of reports, highlighting its far-reaching impact. High costs of living have also been a key point of contention over the past year, as President Donald Trump vowed to make lowering the cost of food a major part of his administration's efforts.
Read More on U.S.
As grocery costs continue to rise, as well as the costs of utilities and health care, Americans have reported having to make daily trade offs in order to make ends meet, such as skipping meals to afford health care.
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What To Know
The cost of food at home has increased by 2.4 percent in the last year, BLS data, released on March 19, showed. Food away from home increased by 3.9 percent, with full service meals and snacks going up by 4.6 percent and limited service meals and snacks going up by 3.2 percent.
The food category seeing the highest price hike between February 2025 and February 2026 was non-alcoholic beverages and beverage materials, which went up by 5.6 percent.
This could be driven in part by the surge in coffee prices, as the cost of coffee has been going up significantly, rising by more than 20 percent between 2024 and 2025, according to other data released by BLS. Climate change and Trump's tariffs on coffee-producing countries have both had a hand to play in the rise in coffee prices.
Cereals and bakery products have gone up by 2.7 percent in the past year, as have fruits and vegetables, while dairy products have increased by 0.1 percent.
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs have gone up by 0.4 percent, despite a 42.1 percent drop in the price of eggs, after egg-layer flocks and egg production stabilized following the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in late 2024 and early 2025, which resulted in supply chain issues, ramping up the cost of eggs.
Other food at home not already listed has gone up by 3.3 percent, although the BLS did not specify in its report what products this would include.
What Happens Next
It is likely that certain food groups will continue to go up in cost, according to a recent United States Department of Agriculture report, especially, sugar and sweets, beef and veal and non-alcoholic beverages. These groups could see price hikes of 5 percent or even higher in 2026.
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