food prices
World food prices tumble by 19 percent in 2015
Mammoth supplies and sluggish economic growth pushed down prices of the major food commodities - grain, dairy, meat, vegetable oils and sugar - by a combined average of 19 percent in 2015, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Cage-free, other specialty eggs command a premium
Eggs are a minor part of U.S. food spending; Americans spend slightly less than 1 cent of each food dollar on supermarket eggs. The USDA regularly notes that eggs are more volatile in price than other items in the food basket and respond to holiday demand.
Surge in retail meat prices is running out of steam
Beef and pork prices soared to record highs in the supermarket in 2014 but shoppers are seeing some relief as producers expand cattle and hog herds. Pork prices "continue to fall below 2014 figures as there are signs of industry expansion and a lower volume of exports due to the strength of the U.S. dollar," says the monthly Food Price Outlook.
Bad weather in U.S. and Mexico drives up vegetable prices
Scanty vegetable supplies are causing "exorbitant prices," says the chief executive of Landec Corp, which sells salad kits, vegetable trays and fresh-cut bagged produce in the food and biomedical markets.
Global food prices fall, Africa needs rise
Abundant supplies and the strong dollar pulled down the FAO's Food Price Index 1.6 percent in November. The UN agency said the index, which has trended downward since early 2014, was 18-percent lower than a year ago.
Climate change likely to worsen global hunger
One out of nine people in the world endures chronic hunger now, and climate change could put as many as 175 million additional people at risk of undernourishment by 2080, says a U.S. paper released today in Paris.
Grocery prices nearly flat for the year
Overall, supermarket prices will barely increase this year, the government said, although beef prices remain high and egg prices are 30-percent higher than a year ago, an after-effect of the bird flu epidemic.
Hog prices plunge after WHO cancer risk rating
U.S. hog prices are the lowest in six years, with the swift drop in market prices following the rating by the WHO's cancer research agency of processed meats such as bacon and ham as "carcinogenic to humans," says Purdue economist Chris Hurt.
Neck-and-neck for biggest soy crop ever
The U.S. soybean crop is only an eyelash away from being the largest ever harvested, according to traders ahead of the USDA crop report set for release today. In surveys by Bloomberg and Reuters, traders say they expect a crop of 3.914 or 3.915 billion bushels, compared to the record 3.927 billion bushels of 2014.
Skyrocketing meat prices fall back to earth
Chicken prices at the grocery store are 2-percent lower than a year ago and wholesale beef prices have started to decline, two signs that meat prices are returning to normal, according to the Food Price Index.
Plentiful harvest pulls down walnut prices
With the USDA predicting a record 575,000-ton walnut harvest in California, which grows nearly all of the crop, "a price slide heralds the first sign of vulnerability for the Golden State's enduring nut boom," reports Capital Press.
Uncertainties inspire variability in soybean prices
Soybean futures prices fell 18 percent over a two-month period this summer before rebounding by 9 percent, writes economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois, who says "soybean prices may continue to trade in the wide range of the past three months."
Pork and broiler prices take a drubbing as supplies grow
With 2015 in its final months, U.S. pork production, in a rebound from the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, is 8-percent larger than a year ago and broiler chicken production is up by 4 percent, says the monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook.
Affordability and nutrition matter most to grocery shoppers – Survey
By a mile, the top issues for grocery shoppers are affordable and nutritious food, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. When asked about food purchases, nearly 60 percent of participants in the poll rated affordable or nutritious food as very important - 25 percentage points ahead of "not genetically modified" and "antibiotic-free" and three times the ratings for "locally grown," "organically grown" or "from a family farm."
Often volatile, global food prices turn placid
World food prices are on an even keel after several years of volatility that began nearly a decade ago, two FAO economists said, crediting the strong dollar, lower petroleum prices and ample stockpiles around the globe.
Grocery prices marginally lower for a sample shopping list
A 16-item shopping list of commonly eaten foods would cost slightly less at grocery stores nationwide today than a year ago, thanks to dramatically lower prices for milk and bacon, said the largest U.S. farm group.
Sharply lower poultry, fish and dairy prices calm food inflation
Grocery store prices for food will rise by a lower-than-average 2 percent this year, held down by large supplies of broiler chickens and dairy products, according to a government forecast. The monthly Food Price Outlook said fish and seafood prices would rise at half their usual rate, also constraining food inflation. Poultry, seafood and dairy account for nearly 11 cents of every food dollar. Americans spend 59 cents of their food dollar for "food at home" - groceries - and 41 cents on carry-out and sit-down meals.