Chips, ice cream, and other groceries that rose in price last month

Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Lizardflms // Shutterstock

Chips, ice cream, and other groceries that rose in price last month

For the first time since September 2020, the overall cost of groceries fell in March in comparison to the previous month.

Urban grocery prices decreased by about 0.2% from February to March, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The drop was largely fueled by decreases in eggs—which had previously risen dramatically over a short period of time—as well as meats, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products.

Still, inflation continued to plague shoppers. The overall cost of groceries in March remained up 8.4% from 2022—the result of historically high inflation in the past couple years following a series of major social and economic events including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, labor disruptions, and heightened consumer demand. Overall, inflation has cooled some, but still hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels.

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Despite the overall monthly lull, groceries in some categories continued to climb. Stacker used monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price increases over the last month, using year-over-year changes as a tiebreaker where needed. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.

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A variety of beers in a refrigerator in a supermarket

Canva

#12. Malt beverages (per 16 oz.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.2%
– Annual change in cost: +7.3%
– March 2023 cost: $1.75

A person pushing a grocery cart down the wine aisle.

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#11. Wine (per 1 liter)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.3%
– Annual change in cost: -1.8%
– March 2023 cost: $13.25

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A display of lemons at a grocery store

Canva

#10. Lemons (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +0.8%
– Annual change in cost: +3.8%
– March 2023 cost: $2.17

A plastic clear container of chocolate chip cookies.

pkajak201 // Shutterstock

#9. Chocolate chip cookies (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.1%
– Annual change in cost: +26.2%
– March 2023 cost: $5.23

Grocery shelves stocked with various cheeses.

Stefan Malloch // Shutterstock

#8. Cheddar cheese, natural (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.2%
– Annual change in cost: +7.9%
– March 2023 cost: $5.92

An array of steak meat in a display case at a supermarket

Canva

#7. Beef steaks (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.3%
– Annual change in cost: +0.2%
– March 2023 cost: $9.81

A grocery store shelf filled with various brands of bread

Sheila Fitzgerald // Shutterstock

#6. Whole wheat bread (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +1.3%
– Annual change in cost: +19.4%
– March 2023 cost: $2.53

A loaf of sliced white bread on a cutting board.

Canva

#5. White bread (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.1%
– Annual change in cost: +20.5%
– March 2023 cost: $1.94

Uncooked white rice spilling out of a burlap sack on a wooden table

Jiri Hera // Shutterstock

#4. Long-grain white rice (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +2.4%
– Annual change in cost: +12.7%
– March 2023 cost: $0.98

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The cheese section of the grocery store.

The Toidi // Shutterstock

#3. American processed cheese (per lb.)

– One-month increase in cost: +3.1%
– Annual change in cost: +19.8%
– March 2023 cost: $4.77

The ice cream aisle at the grocery store.

MM Stock // Shutterstock

#2. Ice cream, prepackaged in bulk (per 1/2 gal.)

– One-month increase in cost: +3.5%
– Annual change in cost: +17%
– March 2023 cost: $5.92

A full aisle of various chips at the grocery store.

Angie Yeoh // Shutterstock

#1. Potato chips (per 16 oz.)

– One-month increase in cost: +5.8%
– Annual change in cost: +18.9%
– March 2023 cost: $6.53