Ham, oranges, and other groceries that rose in price in the Midwest last month
Red Lemon // Shutterstock
Ham, oranges, and other groceries that rose in price in the Midwest last month
Exterior shot of a Piggly Wiggly store.
Ongoing food supply-chain issues kicked off by the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting the cost of groceries today.
The cost of groceries inflated about 0.3% from January to February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Annually, the price is up about 10.2%.
During the initial lockdowns, food producers struggled with a manageable system that would allow them to serve consumers. Labor disruptions also increased food production costs as more funds had to be invested in training workers and protecting food from contamination. Food growers, processors, and distributors were required to adjust packaging, heed new labeling requirements, and meet heightened demand from food retailers.
The effects of these changes are still plaguing grocery store shoppers. So, which food items have seen the biggest uptick in pricing recently? Stacker used monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price increases in the Midwestern Region in February, using year-over-year changes as a tiebreaker where needed.
For this analysis, the Midwest includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.
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#8. Malt beverages (per 16 oz.)
A variety of beers in a refrigerator in a supermarket
– One-month increase in cost: +0.1%
– Annual change in cost: +9%
– February 2023 cost: $1.63
Jiri Hera // Shutterstock
#7. Long-grain white rice (per lb.)
Uncooked white rice spilling out of a burlap sack on a wooden table
– One-month increase in cost: +0.3%
– Annual change in cost: +25.8%
– February 2023 cost: $0.95
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#6. White bread (per lb.)
A loaf of sliced white bread on a cutting board.
– One-month increase in cost: +1.1%
– Annual change in cost: +22.4%
– February 2023 cost: $1.92
Suriyawut Suriya // Shutterstock
#5. White potatoes (per lb.)
Person picking up potato in supermarket
– One-month increase in cost: +2.6%
– Annual change in cost: +20.2%
– February 2023 cost: $0.84
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#4. Whole chicken (per lb.)
A whole cooked chicken with lemon slices.
– One-month increase in cost: +3.3%
– Annual change in cost: +15%
– February 2023 cost: $1.90
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#3. Bananas (per lb.)
Bananas in a pile.
– One-month increase in cost: +4%
– Annual change in cost: +7.5%
– February 2023 cost: $0.60
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#2. Navel oranges (per lb.)
Baskets of naval oranges.
– One-month increase in cost: +5.4%
– Annual change in cost: +6.6%
– February 2023 cost: $1.44
Brent Hofacker // Shutterstock
#1. Ham (per lb.)
Ham on platter
– One-month increase in cost: +6%
– Annual change in cost: +9.5%
– February 2023 cost: $4.51
