Food inflation in the United States inched higher to 3.1% in February 2026 from 2.9% in the prior month. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.4%, after a 0.2% increase in the prior month. Food Inflation in the United States averaged 3.46 percent from 1914 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 36.70 percent in May of 1917 and a record low of -34.30 percent in June of 1921. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Cost of food in the United States increased 3.10 percent in February of 2026 over the same month in the previous year.

Cost of food in the United States increased 3.10 percent in February of 2026 over the same month in the previous year. Food Inflation in the United States is expected to be 3.20 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Food Inflation is projected to trend around 2.50 percent in 2027 and 2.30 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
CPI 326.79 325.25 points Feb 2026
Core Consumer Prices 333.51 332.79 points Feb 2026
Core Inflation Rate YoY 2.50 2.50 percent Feb 2026
CPI Apparel 136.13 130.69 points Feb 2026
CPI Core Core YoY 2.40 2.40 percent Feb 2026
CPI Education 314.88 314.65 points Feb 2026
CPI Food 346.56 345.17 points Feb 2026
CPI Housing Utilities 353.74 352.54 points Feb 2026
CPI Recreation 143.98 143.63 points Feb 2026
CPI Transportation 269.61 267.52 points Feb 2026
Export Prices 155.60 154.60 points Jan 2026
Food Inflation 3.10 2.90 percent Feb 2026
Import Prices 141.70 141.40 points Jan 2026
Inflation Rate YoY 2.40 2.40 percent Feb 2026
Inflation Rate MoM 0.30 0.20 percent Feb 2026
PPI 153.23 152.19 points Feb 2026
PPI YoY 3.40 2.90 percent Feb 2026


United States Food Inflation
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3.10 2.90 36.70 -34.30 1914 - 2026 percent Monthly
1982-1984=100, NSA

News Stream
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Food price inflation in the US softened to 2.8% in April 2025, from a near 1-1/2-year high of 3% in the previous month. Prices slowed down for food at home (2% vs 2.4% in March) but accelerated a bit for food away from home (3.9% vs 3.8%). On a monthly basis, food prices edged down 0.1% in April, following a 0.4% rise in March, largely due to a 12.7% drop in egg prices, which led the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index to fall 1.6%.
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US Food Price Inflation Accelerates to Over 1-Year High
Food price inflation in the U.S. accelerated to 3.0% in March 2025, up from 2.6% the previous month. This marked the highest rate since October 2023, with price growth picking up for both food away from home (3.8% vs. 3.7% in February) and food at home (2.4% vs. 1.9%). On a monthly basis, food prices rose by 0.4%, following a 0.2% increase in February.
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