Food prices are on the way up. The Missouri Farm Bureau has released the results from the third quarter Market-Basket Survey, an informal survey of 16 food items from grocery stores around the state.
The Farm Bureau says food prices were not only higher in the third quarter than in the second quarter, but they were the highest in the nearly 20-year history of the Farm Bureau Survey.
The 16 grocery items in Missouri amounted to $48.34 statewide, compared to the national average of $48.68. The 34 cent difference is small compared to what usually amounts to a much larger difference.
Russet potatoes and cheddar cheese contributed significantly to the higher prices. Other items to go up in price were ground chuck, bacon, whole fryers, toasted oat cereal and a 20-ounce loaf of bread. Missourians paid less for a number of items including apples, pork chops, vegetable oil, corn oil, flour, milk, and eggs.