Food Inflation in the U.S. (2015-2025)
December 16, 2024
By Selin Oğuz, Visual Capitalist
Over the past decade, U.S. food prices have fluctuated significantly, reflecting economic, environmental, and global factors. But where is the trend headed?
From 2015 to 2019, annual food price changes in the U.S. hovered below 2%, signaling a period of stability. The lowest came in 2016 at 0.3%. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 disrupted this trend, pushing prices up by 3.4%, followed by a sharper climb of 3.9% in 2021.
In 2022, food prices increased by 9.9%, the fastest of any year since 1979. That same year, food-at-home prices increased by 11.4%.
U.S. food prices rose partly due to a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak that affected egg and poultry prices in 2022. Other factors included the war in Ukraine, which compounded other economy-wide inflationary pressures, such as high energy costs.
In 2023, U.S. food inflation eased to 5.8%, reflecting the gradual recovery efforts. Forecasts for 2024 and 2025 predict a return to more moderate levels, with food price growth estimated at 2.3%–2.4% annually. Inflation is forecasted to level out in the coming years due to interest rate cuts and lower energy prices.
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