Americans planning a spring picnic will spend around $53 for groceries to fix sandwiches, salad and non-alcoholic beverages for an outing of 10 people, according to a survey of grocery store prices in 28 states.
The cost was 59 cents lower than in 2015, and one cent higher than in 2014, said the American Farm Bureau Federation.The farm group conducts marketbasket surveys four times a year. Apples, up 12 percent, and eggs, up 9 percent showed the largest increases in price — eggs due to the lingering effects of bird flu epidemic — while beef, milk, cheese and orange juice cost less than in spring 2015. “Retail beef prices peaked in early 2015 at record levels,” said AFBF. A pound of shredded cheddar cheese sold for the lowest average price, $4.29, since fall 2012.