"It has not been a pretty summer for consumers at California's supermarkets. That's what my trusty spreadsheet found when averaging slices of Consumer Price Indexes for three Golden State metro areas: the Los Angeles/Orange County combo, San Francisco and San Diego. This summer's pricing June through August's reports shows that prices in the food at home category across those three metros grew at an average 3.3% annual rate this summer."
"So, grocery inflation more than doubled from 1.5% in 2024. Yes, food at home inflation is nowhere near the pandemic era's inflation surge that saw grocery prices balloon at a 6.4% average annual rate in 2021-23. Nevertheless, mid-year 2025's California grocery inflation is running faster than the overall cost of living. The overall Consumer Price Index for the three big markets averaged 3.1% gains this summer, the same as a year ago."
California grocery prices averaged a 3.3% annual increase across Los Angeles/Orange County, San Francisco and San Diego from June through August. Grocery inflation more than doubled from 1.5% in 2024, though it remains below the 6.4% average annual surge seen in 2021-23. The overall CPI for the three metros rose about 3.1% this summer, unchanged year-over-year. Over five years, groceries cost 26% more while the overall cost of living rose 23%. Higher production and distribution costs and new tariffs have pushed up certain food prices. Meats rose 4.3% annually, with beef up 24% over five years; fruits and vegetables rose 4.1% annually this summer.
Read at www.ocregister.com
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