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Vol. I, No. 13 Afternoon Edition

The Fed Gazette

A civic journal of money and credit

Live Federal Reserve rates, FOMC decisions, speeches, and Treasury data, with every figure copied from the agency that published it.

Prices and inflation

Food Prices: CPI Food Index Chart and Latest Data

The Consumer Price Index for food was 350.309 for August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via GOVSPENDING.ORG.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Price Index), via GOVSPENDING.ORG, CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly · Published · Updated

The Consumer Price Index for food, with a chart, what changed since last month, and a plain explanation. The figure is an index level copied as published. This paper does not compute the annual rate.

  • Food 350.309 August 2026 Higher than the previous print

CPI Food Prices chart

Food over time

Monthly index level for food, seasonally adjusted, as published. Each point is a stored monthly print.

340342344346348350352Oct ’25Jan ’26Apr ’26Jul ’26340342344346348350352Oct ’25Jan ’26Apr ’26Jul ’26340342344346348350352Oct ’25Jan ’26Apr ’26Jul ’26340342344346348350352Oct ’25Jan ’26Apr ’26Jul ’26
26028030032034036020222023202420252026260280300320340360202220232024202520262602803003203403602022202320242025202626028030032034036020222023202420252026
20025030035040020182020202220242026200250300350400201820202022202420262002503003504002018202020222024202620025030035040020182020202220242026
010020030040019501965198019952010202501002003004001950196019701980199020002010202001002003004001950196019701980199020002010202001002003004001950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
  • Food 350.309 Aug 1, 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Price Index), via GOVSPENDING.ORG, CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly · as of · retrieved

More series in the data library
Data
Food over time, the last print of each calendar quarter (a sample of the plotted line)
PeriodFood
March 194723.8
June 194723.5
September 194724.8
December 194725.7
March 194825.3
June 194826.5
September 194826.3
December 194825.5
March 194925.3
June 194925.3
September 194925
December 194924.5
March 195024.6
June 195025.1
September 195025.8
December 195026.9
March 195128.4
June 195128
September 195127.9
December 195128.9
March 195228.5
June 195228.6
September 195228.7
December 195228.6
March 195328.3
June 195328.4
September 195328.4
December 195328.3
March 195428.4
June 195428.4
September 195428
December 195427.8
March 195528
June 195527.7
September 195527.8
December 195527.6
March 195627.5
June 195628.1
September 195628.2
December 195628.5
March 195728.6
June 195728.9
September 195729.2
December 195729.2
March 195830.5
June 195830.3
September 195830
December 195829.9
March 195929.7
June 195929.7
September 195929.7
December 195929.6
March 196029.6
June 196030
September 196030.1
December 196030.5
March 196130.5
June 196130.2
September 196130.3
December 196130.3
March 196230.6
June 196230.5
September 196230.9
December 196230.7
March 196331
June 196331
September 196331.1
December 196331.3
March 196431.4
June 196431.4
September 196431.6
December 196431.7
March 196531.7
June 196532.6
September 196532.3
December 196532.8
March 196633.8
June 196633.7
September 196634.1
December 196634
March 196733.8
June 196734
September 196734.3
December 196734.6
March 196834.9
June 196835.2
September 196835.6
December 196836
March 196936.2
June 196937
September 196937.7
December 196938.6
March 197038.9
June 197039.2
September 197039.4
December 197039.5
March 197139.8
June 197140.5
September 197140.6
December 197141.3
March 197241.6
June 197241.9
September 197242.5
December 197243.2
March 197345.8
June 197347.6
September 197350.4
December 197351.9
March 197454.2
June 197454.5
September 197456.2
December 197458.2
March 197558.4
June 197559.2
September 197560.7
December 197562.1
March 197660.9
June 197661.3
September 197662.1
December 197662.5
March 197764.2
June 197765.7
September 197766.4
December 197767.4
March 197869.5
June 197872.7
September 197873.6
December 197875.1
March 197978.4
June 197980
September 197980.9
December 197982.8
March 198084.1
June 198085.7
September 198089.1
December 198091.3
March 198192.6
June 198193.2
September 198194.8
December 198195.3
March 198296.2
June 198298.1
September 198298.2
December 198298.2
March 198398.8
June 198399.6
September 1983100
December 1983100.6
March 1984102.9
June 1984103.1
September 1984103.8
December 1984104.5
March 1985105.5
June 1985105.5
September 1985105.8
December 1985107.3
March 1986107.5
June 1986108.3
September 1986110.2
December 1986111.4
March 1987112.4
June 1987113.9
September 1987114.3
December 1987115.1
March 1988115.8
June 1988117.6
September 1988120.1
December 1988121.1
March 1989123.2
June 1989125.1
September 1989126.3
December 1989127.8
March 1990131
June 1990132.1
September 1990133.6
December 1990134.6
March 1991135.3
June 1991137.4
September 1991136.4
December 1991137
March 1992137.6
June 1992137.6
September 1992138.9
December 1992138.8
March 1993139.6
June 1993140.6
September 1993141.4
December 1993142.8
March 1994142.7
June 1994143.8
September 1994145.3
December 1994146.8
March 1995147.1
June 1995148.3
September 1995149.1
December 1995149.9
March 1996151.4
June 1996152.9
September 1996154.6
December 1996156.3
March 1997156.6
June 1997156.9
September 1997158
December 1997158.7
March 1998159.7
June 1998160.2
September 1998161.1
December 1998162.4
March 1999163.3
June 1999163.7
September 1999164.6
December 1999165.5
March 2000166.5
June 2000167.4
September 2000168.9
December 2000170
March 2001171.7
June 2001173.1
September 2001174.2
December 2001174.7
March 2002176.1
June 2002175.9
September 2002176.5
December 2002177.1
March 2003178.4
June 2003179.7
September 2003180.9
December 2003183.5
March 2004184.2
June 2004186.4
September 2004186.9
December 2004188.4
March 2005189.1
June 2005190.5
September 2005191.5
December 2005192.9
March 2006194
June 2006194.7
September 2006196.3
December 2006197.1
March 2007200.432
June 2007202.557
September 2007205.003
December 2007206.874
March 2008209.324
June 2008213.333
September 2008217.768
December 2008219.073
March 2009218.51
June 2009217.813
September 2009217.258
December 2009217.904
March 2010218.99
June 2010219.285
September 2010220.219
December 2010221.215
March 2011225.213
June 2011227.515
September 2011230.682
December 2011231.557
March 2012232.591
June 2012233.683
September 2012234.404
December 2012235.677
March 2013236.213
June 2013236.98
September 2013237.519
December 2013238.182
March 2014240.447
June 2014242.646
September 2014244.48
December 2014246.237
March 2015246.072
June 2015246.937
September 2015248.492
December 2015248.206
March 2016248.029
June 2016247.683
September 2016247.772
December 2016247.725
March 2017249.244
June 2017249.77
September 2017250.826
December 2017251.716
March 2018252.365
June 2018253.167
September 2018254.302
December 2018255.877
March 2019257.681
June 2019257.952
September 2019258.865
December 2019260.483
March 2020262.622
June 2020269.553
September 2020269.043
December 2020270.781
March 2021271.636
June 2021275.997
September 2021281.366
December 2021287.812
March 2022295.546
June 2022304.834
September 2022312.901
December 2022317.813
March 2023320.554
June 2023322.365
September 2023324.379
December 2023326.434
March 2024327.774
June 2024329.6
September 2024331.753
December 2024334.464
March 2025337.331
June 2025339.468
September 2025342.086
December 2025344.632
March 2026346.603
June 2026349.609
August 2026350.309
Cite this

Cite the agency first. This paper is the place you read the figure, as of August 2026.

  • APA U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Price Index), via GOVSPENDING.ORG. (2026, August 1). CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly [Data set]. https://govspending.org/series/CPIUFDSL/ Retrieved October 9, 2026, via The Fed Gazette, https://fedgazette.com/cpi-food-prices/#chart-cpi-food-prices-0
  • MLA U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Price Index), via GOVSPENDING.ORG. “CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly.” CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly, data as of 1 Aug. 2026, https://govspending.org/series/CPIUFDSL/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026 via The Fed Gazette, https://fedgazette.com/cpi-food-prices/#chart-cpi-food-prices-0.
  • Chicago U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Price Index), via GOVSPENDING.ORG. “CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly.” Data as of August 1, 2026. https://govspending.org/series/CPIUFDSL/. Retrieved October 9, 2026 via The Fed Gazette, https://fedgazette.com/cpi-food-prices/#chart-cpi-food-prices-0.

As of August 2026 · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Price Index), via GOVSPENDING.ORG · CPIUFDSL, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: food, monthly · Index 1982-1984=100 · original series CPIUFDSL on FRED · Retrieved

CPI food index: what changed since the last print

The latest CPI food index print is 350.309 for August 2026, higher than the print before it, 349.881 for July 2026. About a year earlier, for August 2025, it was 341.32, and the latest print is higher than that.

This paper says only whether the latest stored print is higher than, lower than, or the same as an earlier stored print, and prints both. It does not compute a difference or a percent.

PeriodFood
August 2026350.309
July 2026349.881
June 2026349.609
May 2026348.892
April 2026348.349
March 2026346.603
February 2026346.622
January 2026345.271
December 2025344.632
November 2025342.386
September 2025342.086
August 2025341.32

What the CPI food index is, in plain English

The food index is the part of the Consumer Price Index that tracks what urban consumers pay for food. It covers food bought at stores, often called food at home, and meals bought at restaurants and other places, called food away from home.

Food is one of the two categories left out of core inflation, because its prices can swing with harvests, weather, and transport costs. Households see these prices every week, so the index often shapes how people feel about inflation.

The index is published as a level, set so that the average of 1982 to 1984 is one hundred. The annual change that news reports quote is the percent difference between two levels. This paper does not compute it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics prints it in each release.

Index level
The published value of the index in a month. It has no unit of its own.
Seasonally adjusted
Smoothed for regular seasonal patterns, which is how this series is published.
Component
One part of the all-items Consumer Price Index.

CPI food index questions answered

What is the latest CPI food index?

The Consumer Price Index for food was 350.309 for August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via GOVSPENDING.ORG.

What does the CPI for food measure?

It measures the change in the prices urban consumers pay for food, both at stores and at restaurants.

Is this the inflation rate?

No. It is an index level. The inflation rate is the percent change in the level over a period, which this paper leaves to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How often does it update?

Monthly, with the Consumer Price Index release. The period for the latest print is shown beside the figure.

What does the as-of date mean?

It is the date the agency attached to the figure, and it is printed beside the figure. It can be earlier than today: a daily series is dated its business day, a weekly or monthly series is dated its week or month. The page also prints when this paper retrieved the file, so you can tell a late feed from a late print.

How do I cite a figure from this page?

Cite the agency first (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via GOVSPENDING.ORG). Then name The Fed Gazette as the place you read it. The Cite this panel on the page gives APA, MLA and Chicago lines built from the agency, the series name, the as-of date, the source URL and the date this paper retrieved the file.