Beef Booms, Eggs Fall: A Tale of Split Food Inflation in December CPI
December’s CPI for food at home rose 0.72% month-to-month (9.0% annualized), pushing the annual gain to 2.4%, with beef, dairy, coffee and other foods leading gains while eggs pulled back after earlier spikes. Ground beef jumped about 19% year-over-year as the cattle herd sits at a 64-year low; chicken breast was flat; eggs, after a huge run-up due to avian flu, fell 5% in December though remain well above pre-pandemic levels. The “other foods” category rose 1.6% and fresh fruit/vegetables 0.5%, while coffee climbed 1.9% and restaurant prices (food away from home) rose 0.7% MoM and 4.1% YoY. The piece notes the inflation split across items and questions whether the December spike is a blip or a warning that food inflation could re-accelerate if demand stays strong and supply remains tight.










