The price of groceries is up from last year. That’s according to the Indiana Farm Bureau’s fall market basket survey, which measures the total cost of 16 food items.
This year, the price was $53.32. That’s up $2.14 from this time last year; it’s also a 92-cent increase from the spring 2015 survey.
Egg prices saw the most dramatic increase, with a dozen large eggs now costing on average $3.08 compared with $1.86 last fall. American Farm Bureau Federation deputy chief economist John Anderson blames it on the loss of production caused by the H5 bird flu virus in Iowa, Minnesota, and other Midwestern states.
Some products saw a drop in price, though, including apples, flour, and vegetable oil. Anderson says the reason for this is lower energy prices, which have a big effect on the grocery industry.
One other notable statistic is the share of the average food dollar that makes it back to farmers. Anderson says they currently get about 16 percent of what customers pay for food eaten either at home or away from home. That’s down from the mid-1970s when about one-third of the price of food went back to farmers.
INFB Market Basket Survey Results:
| Items | Fall 2014 | Spring 2015 | Fall 2015 |
| Apples, 1 lb. | $1.72 | $1.87 | $1.50 |
| Potatoes, 5 lb. | $2.93 | $2.66 | $2.75 |
| Bagged salad mix, 1 lb. | $1.86 | $1.95 | $2.42 |
| Orange juice, 1/2 gal | $3.24 | $3.67 | $3.52 |
| Ground chuck, 1 lb. | $4.22 | $4.46 | $4.56 |
| Sirloin tip roast, 1 lb | $5.42 | $5.57 | $5.87 |
| Bacon, 1 lb. | $4.85 | $3.96 | $4.21 |
| Sliced deli ham, 1 lb. | $5.09 | $6.34 | $5.61 |
| Boneless chicken breast, 1 lb. | $3.10 | $3.05 | $3.37 |
| Whole milk, 1 gal. | $3.25 | $2.81 | $2.67 |
| Shredded cheddar cheese, 1 lb. | $4.50 | $4.09 | $4.81 |
| Grade A large eggs, 1 doz. | $1.86 | $2.10 | $3.08 |
| Flour, 5 lb. | $2.33 | $2.46 | $2.18 |
| Vegetable oil, 32 oz. | $2.63 | $3.00 | $2.34 |
| Cereal, 10-oz. box | $2.80 | $2.88 | $2.95 |
| White bread, 20-oz. loaf | $1.38 | $1.53 | $1.48 |
| TOTAL | $51.18 | $52.40 | $53.32 |
