The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported May’s food-at-home index jumped 11.9% year over year, vaulting the 10.8% increase in April and marking the largest uptick since the 12 months through April 1979, according to BLS. This follows increases of 10% in March — which BLS said represented the biggest 12-month rise since March 1981 — and 8.6% in February and 7.4% in January.
For May, the food CPI — including food-at-home and food-away-from-home — climbed 10.1% year over year and 1.2% month over month, following respective gains of 9.4% and 0.9% in April, 8.8% and 1% in March, 7.9% and 1% in February, and 7% and 0.9% in January.
Through the first five months of 2022, the month-over-month escalation in the food-at-home index continues to be dramatic, rising 1.4% in May after climbing 0.9% in April, 1.5% in March, 1.4% in February and 1% in January. The January increase followed just a 0.4% uptick in December.
The increase has been across all parts of the grocery store. All six major grocery store food group indices rose over the 12-month span through May, with five of the six up over 10%. The index for meat, poultry, fish, and eggs increased the most, up 14.2%, with the index for eggs surging 32.2%. The remaining groups saw growth ranging from 8.2% (fruit and vegetables) to 12.6% (other food at home).