America’s rising food prices due to inflation hitting a 39-year high in November are causing some to change their diets.
The consumer price index jumped 6.8% from a year earlier, the fastest pace since 1982, as prices surged for staples such as food and gasoline, as well as new and used cars, rent and medical care, the Labor Department said Friday. Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs were up 12.6% from November 2020.
For Amber Tolbert, of Birmingham, Alabama, it has meant more pasta and less meat for her family.
“The meat going up so much I have definitely felt,” Tolbert said. “I have been changing what I buy to be less meat forward and getting more pasta and vegetables. Sometimes I split the ground beef between meals.”
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►Inflation increases:Food, cars and gas cost more with inflation at a 39-year high. Here’s how much they’ve increased
On a monthly basis, overall consumer prices increased 0.8% in November while core prices advanced 0.5%.
There are many reasons for the higher grocery bills, including labor shortages, widespread supply-chain bottlenecks, countless product shortages and strong consumer demand.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Thanksgiving dinner cost survey, the average cost of this year’s classic Thanksgiving feast for 10 was $53.31, more than $5 a person, which was the priciest meal in the survey’s 36 years and up 14%…
