The Peru Gazette

August Market Basket Prices Up 9% for Year
Market basket prices dropped slightly in August compared with July’s cost, but are up 9% from last August’s cost of $89.23.
For the month, prices fell on meats, drinks, dairy, and frozen foods. Prices increased in August on breads, cereals and grains, canned goods, miscellaneous, and produce. For the year, prices are up in all categories, except drinks.
Meats saw the biggest price drop on ground chuck, bottom round roast, chuch and sirloin steak, and pork chops. Whole frying chickens held steady at $1.22 a pound.
Drink prices fell on Budweiser beer, and store brand coffee and cola.
Dairy prices were down on Parkay margarine, eggs, and whole and skim milk. Dairy prices for the year are up 5%.
Breads, cereals and grains saw the biggest increase on sugar, River rice, white bread and spaghetti. River rice is up to $1.50 a pound, compared to $1.03 last August.
Canned good prices were up on Del Monte fruit cocktail, Green Giant peas, Star Kist tuna, and vegetable soup.
In the miscellaneous category, prices increased on store brand salad oil and Oreo cookies.
Produce saw prices rise in August on red Delicious apples, bananas, and carrots. Prices fell on Iceberg lettuce and white potatoes.
Seasonal Reminders: The local harvest of all apple varieties is well underway. There will be local corn, tomatoes, snap beans, and cucumbers ’till the first frost. September is the top month for grapes and the first good month of the pear season.

The Market Basket is a monthly report based on a survey of 41 food items commonly purchased by consumers. Four major supermarkets are surveyed in the Plattsburgh area. It is a community service jointly sponsored by TAC and the Office of Insititutional Advancement at SUNY Plattsburgh. The data is compiled monthly by the Office of Insititutional Research at SUNY Plattsburgh.