Food prices in Kentucky decreased slightly in the third quarter of 2016, according to the most recent Marketbasket Survey conducted by the Kentucky Farm Bureau.
The cost of the 40 basic grocery items included in the survey totaled an average of $118.51, as compared to $120.16 recorded during the second quarter of 2016. The survey marks the sixth quarter out of the last seven in which food prices have fallen.
The third-quarter drop of 1.39 percent followed a slight increase experienced during the second quarter of the year. The decrease was led by a 9.64 percent decrease in the poultry category, which includes the price of eggs. The cost of a dozen eggs alone fell 32 cents for extra-large eggs and 31 cents for large eggs since the previous quarter.
In addition to the drop in poultry prices, the second largest decline was experienced in the beef category, with an average price decline of 2.99 percent.
The largest average price increases were noted for pork, which rose 3.68 percent, and fruits and vegetables, which climbed1.04 percent.
The decrease reflects a similar trend noted nationally by the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reported that its food at home index decreased 2.2 percent during the past year.