Food prices continue to be one of the biggest strains on household budgets. The cost of groceries—or, "food at home," per CPI—is up 0.3% since January and over 10% since last February.
Several weather disasters, including two hurricanes, hit Florida last year, ravaging orange groves in the juice-producing Sunshine State.
Bad weather is also to blame for a drop in potato production, with last summer's unseasonably warm temperatures impacting crops in the leading spud-producing state of Idaho, according to the News-Star.
While prices are slowly trending downward for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, in general, that isn't the case for many pork products.
Dried pasta is one of those dependable pantry staples that Americans rely on for a filling and cheap meal, but even this trusty go-to is less affordable than it used to be.
If you like to bake, then you are surely feeling the inflationary effects lately. Two of the most basic ingredients for baking are both surging in price.
One predictable result of the rising cost of baking supplies: higher prices for baked goods, too.
Another pantry staple on the rise, price-wise: the simple loaf of bread. White bread is now $1.89 per pound on average.