Audio courtesy Rod Bain with USDA.
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In spite of higher commodity prices, USDA Economist Ricky Volpe says this year’s food prices (measured as the food-at-home Consumer Price Index or CPI) have stayed flat overall. In 2012, foods like beef, veal, poultry and fruit saw an increase in price, but pork, eggs, vegetables and non-alcoholic vegetables actually decreased in price. Most other categories of foods did not change significantly, which caused food prices to balance out on the whole.
Volpe says 2012 prices stayed flat, but 2013 is another story.
