Eggs, tomatoes, and other groceries that dropped in price in April

Published 3:00 pm Friday, May 12, 2023

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Eggs, tomatoes, and other groceries that dropped in price in April

Grocery shoppers continued to feel a slight reprieve in April as grocery prices fell month-over-month for the second consecutive month, after a run of increases spanning back to September 2020.

The decline was moderate, at about 0.2% since March, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. It certainly didn’t undo the two years of historically high inflation, and prices were still up 7.1% from April 2022. But urban prices fell in many grocery categories, including eggs, meats, vegetables, grains, and dairy products.

Many factors have contributed to past surges in pricing, including producers’ increased cost to package goods, extreme weather conditions that destroyed crops, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lasting effects of COVID-19.

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While costs remain high overall, the decreases mean dollars can stretch a bit farther at the grocery store. Stacker used monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the grocery items that experienced the largest price decreases in April, 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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Uncooked white rice spilling out of a burlap sack on a wooden table

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

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.2%
– Annual change in cost: +8.9%
– April 2023 cost: $0.98

Dried macaroni noodles.

Canva

#11. Spaghetti and macaroni (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.3%
– Annual change in cost: +20%
– April 2023 cost: $1.46

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The cheese section of the grocery store.

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#10. American processed cheese (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.3%
– Annual change in cost: +14.6%
– April 2023 cost: $4.76

A wooden scoop in white flour.

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#9. All-purpose white flour (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.7%
– Annual change in cost: +19.1%
– April 2023 cost: $0.54

A plastic clear container of chocolate chip cookies.

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#8. Chocolate chip cookies (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.8%
– Annual change in cost: +24.4%
– April 2023 cost: $5.19

Romaine lettuce leaves

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#7. Romaine lettuce (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -0.9%
– Annual change in cost: -12.7%
– April 2023 cost: $2.78

A grocery shelf filled with gallons of whole milk.

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#6. Whole milk (per gal.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.4%
– Annual change in cost: +0.7%
– April 2023 cost: $4.04

Various dried beans in burlap sacks.

Peangdao // Shutterstock

#5. Dried beans (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -1.7%
– Annual change in cost: +1.9%
– April 2023 cost: $1.66

A spoonful of ground coffee

Canva

#4. Ground coffee (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -2.3%
– Annual change in cost: +9.2%
– April 2023 cost: $6.04

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Ham on platter

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#3. Ham (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -3%
– Annual change in cost: +7.3%
– April 2023 cost: $4.21

Bright red tomatoes with green tops.

Canva

#2. Tomatoes (per lb.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -3%
– Annual change in cost: +4.5%
– April 2023 cost: $1.87

Closeup of white eggs in a carton

Canva

#1. Eggs (per doz.)

– One-month decrease in cost: -5.1%
– Annual change in cost: +29.8%
– April 2023 cost: $3.27