With some items, like ground beef, costing more and others, like eggs, costing less, family grocery bills have been rising. However, unless customers are making notes, it can be challenging to determine which products are experiencing the largest increases.
News is tracking the average point-of-sale prices for six common supermarket items—orange juice, eggs, chicken breasts, fresh ground beef, bacon, and bread—as well as the amount that those prices have changed since October 2022.
Using this interactive chart, readers can compare their grocery bill to the national average or to the prices of shoppers in other large metro areas.
Monitoring the effect of inflation on consumer spending both during the pandemic and after the economy recovers is the aim. According to the White House, inflation is increasing and will not go away.
One way to gauge the effects of President Joe Biden’s economic policies on average citizens is to look at the News grocery price tracker.
According to the Federal Reserve, prices have increased and are predicted to rise further. Grocery prices are under pressure due to rising input costs, particularly for food and fuel. Weather and supply chain interruptions also have an impact.
The information in the News tracker, supplied by NIQ, formerly Nielsen IQ, comes from actual checkout prices paid at mass merchandisers, grocery stores, drugstores, warehouse clubs, and military commissaries across the country.
Another source of average price data is the monthly consumer price index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This index is compiled using human data collectors and includes information on other food product categories.