Wisconsin Ag Connection - Retail Food Prices Decrease for Second Consecutive Quarter

Wisconsin Ag News Headlines

Retail Food Prices Decrease for Second Consecutive Quarter
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 04/08/2009

For the second consecutive quarter, food prices at the retail level throughout the state where lower in the grocery stores. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation released its latest Market Basket food survey on Tuesday, which showed that the average cost of 20 select food items totaled $55.85 in the first quarter of 2009. That was a $2.06 decrease from the survey's average price of $57.91 in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Prices for dairy products all saw significant decreases in the first quarter. A pound of butter was $3.31, almost eight-percent less than the fourth quarter of 2008. A pound of mild cheddar cheese dropped 20-cents to $3.95 in the same time period and a gallon of whole milk dropped 34-cents to $2.90.

Other items decreasing in the Market Basket survey were Red Delicious apples, down 18-cents per pound at $1.44. A 10-pound bag of Wisconsin potatoes fell by nine percent to $3.90. And a pound of bone-in ham was $1.89, 43-cents less the previous quarter.

Price increases were modest with the largest increase seen in a loaf of store brand bread. The survey average price of $1.47 per loaf is an increase of 23-cents from the last quarter of 2008

Farmers receive about 19 percent of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home.

Communities surveyed include Appleton, Ashland, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Grafton, Green Bay, Janesville, La Crosse, Ladysmith, Lancaster, Madison, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Medford, Mequon, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Portage, Racine, Shawano, Sheboygan, Stevens Point, Watertown, Waukesha, Wausau and West Bend.