Phoenix, AZ – A new study by the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation finds that, on
average, the cost of food is 20 percent less now than it was a
year ago. The organization's Peggy Jo Goodfellow said that
historically prices have gone up when the cost of raw commodities
and fuel go up.
(So naturally when things start coming down we're seeing a
decrease in fuel pricing. Commodity prices have gone down. We all
know that right now in the grocery store we can buy eggs, milk
and cheese for a lot less than we were paying one year go.)
In fact, the price of both eggs and cheese are down by a quarter.
And for what consumers paid a year ago for a gallon of milk they
can now get two. Goodfellow said the new figures also point up
another anomaly: For the first time since the Farm Bureau has
been tracking these figures, food costs actually are no higher in
Arizona than the national average. And in some cases they're
actually less.
(I think the reason for that is maybe our retailers are showing
some relief on their end and therefore they're passing it on to
the consumer.)
Goodfellow said Farm Bureau economists predict the lower prices
will continue at least through the end of the year. For Arizona
Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.