JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Farm Bureau’s Marketbasket Survey, an informal survey of retail grocery prices statewide, showed food prices increased slightly between the first and second quarter of 2010.
The survey prices 16 standardized food items at supermarkets around the state, and the second quarter price tag of $43.70 was 29 cents higher than the first quarter price tag of $43.41.
“That’s a very small increase,” said Diane Olson, director of promotion and education for the Missouri Farm Bureau.
“The second quarter for the survey was pretty uneventful. With beef, we found ground chuck up 35 cents at $2.99 per pound and sirloin tip roast up 18 cents at $3.72 per pound. Pork prices, on the other hand, were lower with bacon down 48 cents at $3.03 a pound and sliced deli ham down 25 cents at $4.74 per pound.”
Other price decreases were for flour, Grade A large eggs, a gallon of whole milk, Red Delicious apples, orange juice and a 20-ounce loaf of bread.
Olson said the largest single price increase was for chicken breasts, up 81 cents at $3.36 per pound. Other price increases were for shredded cheddar cheese, russet potatoes, salad mix, Cheerios and vegetable oil.
“The good news comes when you compare the prices paid by shoppers in Missouri to those paid by shoppers nationwide,” Olson said. “The summary of prices for the same 16 food items from all the other states reporting totaled $47.20, fully $3.50 more than Missouri consumers paid during the second quarter.
“Regardless, food is a real bargain in the United States. Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest of any country in the world.”
