Coffee, steak, and other groceries that rose in price in the West last month
Jeff Whyte // Shutterstock
Coffee, steak, and other groceries that rose in price in the West last month
Exterior shot of a Safeway store.
Ongoing food supply-chain issues kicked off by the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting the cost of groceries today.
The cost of groceries inflated about 0.3% from January to February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Annually, the price is up about 10.2%.
During the initial lockdowns, food producers struggled with a manageable system that would allow them to serve consumers. Labor disruptions also increased food production costs as more funds had to be invested in training workers and protecting food from contamination. Food growers, processors, and distributors were required to adjust packaging, heed new labeling requirements, and meet heightened demand from food retailers.
The effects of these changes are still plaguing grocery store shoppers. So, which food items have seen the biggest uptick in pricing recently? Stacker used monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price increases in the Western region in February, using year-over-year changes as a tiebreaker where needed.
For this analysis, the West includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.
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#7. Whole chicken (per lb.)
An array of steak meat in a display case at a supermarket
– One-month increase in cost: +0.2%
– Annual change in cost: +9.7%
– February 2023 cost: $2.03
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#6. Chocolate chip cookies (per lb.)
A variety of beers in a refrigerator in a supermarket
– One-month increase in cost: +0.2%
– Annual change in cost: Not available
– February 2023 cost: $5.29
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Sheila Fitzgerald // Shutterstock
#5. White bread (per lb.)
A grocery shelf filled with various ground beef packages.
– One-month increase in cost: +1.6%
– Annual change in cost: +24.2%
– February 2023 cost: $2.22
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#4. Cheddar cheese, natural (per lb.)
A display of lemons at a grocery store
– One-month increase in cost: +3%
– Annual change in cost: +3.7%
– February 2023 cost: $6.08
MM Stock // Shutterstock
#3. White potatoes (per lb.)
The ice cream aisle at the grocery store.
– One-month increase in cost: +3.5%
– Annual change in cost: +33.4%
– February 2023 cost: $1.03
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#2. Beef steaks (per lb.)
A whole cooked chicken with lemon slices.
– One-month increase in cost: +4%
– Annual change in cost: -0.6%
– February 2023 cost: $11.12
Brent Hofacker // Shutterstock
#1. Ground coffee (per lb.)
Ham on platter
– One-month increase in cost: +4.6%
– Annual change in cost: +11.7%
– February 2023 cost: $6.78
