Grocery Prices Down in Early 2012
Grapefruit led the price decline as Texas growers began harvesting. Photo courtesy Alan Sheffield at flickr.com/arsheffield/The price of groceries fell a bit in Texas during the first three months of 2012.
The quarterly grocery survey by the Texas Farm Bureau showed shoppers paid 64 cents less for 16 staple items including lettuce, milk, bread, beef and — the biggest price drop — grapefruit.
“Grapefruit decreased by about 30 percent,” said Amanda Hill with the Texas Farm Bureau. “That’s pretty significant. But you also have to keep in mind that we are right on the edge of harvest season for grapefruit. So those Texas grapefruit from south Texas are coming up. They are less expensive because we are in harvest and we don’t have to take them so far.”
Hill says fresh fruit and vegetables harvested locally generally bring lower prices.
One item expected to increase heading into the summer is beef. The drought in Texas had many farmers liquidating herds last year which means as we head into summer there will be fewer cattle to meet the demands of grilling season.
A chart of the price survey is here (PDF).
