Grocery store prices for all categories of food except for fresh fruit increased by 5.6 percent compared to this time last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service’s Food Price Outlook. The increases are largely attributed to supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapting to the supply chain transitions caused by stay-at-home orders placed upward pressure on retail prices. Dairy, poultry, and meat products were particularly affected by the price changes.
