The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that June saw the largest decrease in prices for urban consumers since April 2020, but restaurant prices strayed from that trend and continued to rise.
The BLS’s July 14 report noted a 0.4 percent decrease in the consumer price index last month, bringing the annual rate to 3.5 percent after a half-point increase in May. Still, seasonally adjusted food costs continue an upward trajectory, rising 0.2 percent in June.
Full-service meal prices are growing faster than those at limited-service operations. The full-service meal index rose 3.1 percent over the last 12 months and 0.4 percent in June alone, while limited-service meals saw a 0.1 percent increase last month and 3.1 percent for the year.
Over the last year, prices for food away from home outpaced the costs for food at home by nearly 26 percent. Nonalcoholic beverages are bringing down overall average food prices, with the category falling 1.5 percent in June, and the coffee index dropped two points last month.
Fooda, a workplace catering platform with more than 4,500 restaurant partners, released its monthly Fooda Price Index July 14, using prices from its operator network to gauge how the price of lunch fluctuates.
The FPI showcased an average lunch cost of $14.73 in June, up 1.7 percent from May and 3.9 percent over the last 12 months. That average U.S. lunch price marked the highest since last June. When broken up by region, the Northeast saw the most expensive average lunch at $15.86, while the Midwest lowered the national median with an average of $13.51.
