Charles Abbott

@[email protected]
Covering U.S. farm, food, rural and ag trade policy, mostly.

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

2025 Inflation, per CPI
Food US
Sept 3.1 3.0
Aug 3.2 2.9
July 2.9 2.7
June 3.0 2.7
May 2.9 2.4
Apr 2.8 2.3
Mar 3.0 2.4
Feb 2.6 2.8
Jan 2.5 3.0

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

For the sixth month in a row, food prices climbed more rapidly than the overall US inflation rate. The Consumer Price Index report, released today, said food prices were 3.1 pct higher than a year ago, compared to a 3 pct rise for prices nationwide. https://t.co/2FrB6ccXhV

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

Food inflation has out-paced the overall US inflation rate since March, according to the CPI reports. https://t.co/HvrEGbrkta The report, usually issued in the first half of each month, was delayed by 10 days due to the government shutdown.

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said all six major food-group indexes rose during August.
The USDA forecasts food price inflation of 2.9 percent this year, the same as the 20-year average. https://t.co/3QVmUzuEWM 3/3

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

US food prices are up by 3.2 pct in the past year, the largest annual increase since October 2023, said the Labor Department on Wednesday. The monthly Consumer Price Index report said the overall US inflation rate was 2.9 pct. https://t.co/Bwvrt9XNSJ 1/3

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

“Tariffs are clearly hitting now,” said economist Heather Long on social media. “Higher food, gas and shelter costs drove inflation up in August.” https://t.co/PZ1gnrB5br 2/3

[Heather Long @byHeatherLong]

JUST IN: Tariffs are clearly hitting now. U.S. Inflation rises to 2.9% (y/y) in August-->up from 2.3% in April.

Higher food, gas and shelter costs drove inflation up in August. Cars, apparel and airfares also saw costs surge. ***Inflation jumped 0.4% during the month, the highest monthly increase since January.*** (see bar chart below)

Core inflation (excluding food and energy) was 3.1% (y/y) in August, up from 2.8% in the spring. #inflation #tariffs

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

In the 12 months ending in June, food prices rose faster than the overall US inflation rate of 2.7 pct. The Consumer Price Index report says prices of meat, poultry, fish and eggs at the grocery store rose by 5.6 pct over 12 months. Egg prices surged by 27 pct.

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

Food prices rose by 3 pct in the past year, says US inflation report released on Tuesday. That matches the annualized rate in March and is highest since 3.2 pct in October 2023, according to Labor Department data. https://t.co/2FrB6ccXhV

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

Annualized food inflation rate in recent months: 2.5 pct in Dec 2024, 2.5 pct in Jan 2025, 2.6 pt in Feb, 3.0 pct in Mar, 2.8 pct in Apr and 2.9 pct in May. Most recent low was 2.1 pct in Oct 2024. https://t.co/2FrB6ccXhV

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

Food prices are moving up, says monthly US inflation report - rising by 2.9 pct in 12 months ending in May, with a 6.1 pct surge in meat, poultry, fish and egg prices. US inflation rate was 2.4 pct. https://t.co/A5yHwNIHrz

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

Former AgSec Vilsack is named chief executive of the World Food Prize Foundation, from Mar 1. The $500,000 prize, for work "advancing global development through transforming food systems," is the brainchild of Nobel Peace laureate Norman Borlaug.
https://t.co/lSW9SnnTXC

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

Brid flu has been confirmed in 928 dairy herds in 16 states, including 711 herds in California, since last March. The disease has killed 136.3 million birds in domestic flocks since February 2022, mostly egg-laying hens and turkeys being raised for meat.

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

A child in San Francisco contracted, and recovered from, a mild case of bird flu but the source of the infection was unknown, said CDC officials on Thursday. It was the second such case in California in two months and the third nationwide.

[Charles Abbott @chuckabbott1]

USDA has spent $1.5 billion in combating bird flu, including compensation to producers, and will compile a stockpile of vaccine against bird flu in poultry, said Eric Deeble, USDA bird flu adviser. However, it was "not imminently implementing" vaccinations, he said.