Grocery food prices up slightly in July

The price for at-home food increased in July, but for the ninth straight month, the rise was minimal.

The index for food at home rose just 0.1%, and over the last year, grocery prices are up just 1.1%, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Since late last year, the monthly index for at-home food has not increased more than 2%.

Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the month of July, while the other three dropped. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs was up 0.7%, and the index for eggs jumped 5.5%. The other risers were fruits and vegetables (0.8%) and non-alcoholic beverages (0.5%).

After a 0.5% jump in June, the index for other food at home fell 0.5% last month. The cereals and bakery products index decreased 0.5% while the dairy and related products index declined 0.2%.

Breaking it down by category over the last year, the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index has increased the most at 3%, and the nonalcoholic beverages index has bumped up 1.9%.

The index for other food at home increased 0.9%. The cereals and bakery index remained unchanged over the last year, while fruits and vegetables, dairy, and related products experienced a 0.2% index drop.