Instead of falling from last year's COVID related run-ups, retail food prices across Texas and the nation are still rising.
"It definitely does not fit with our predictions eight months ago when we were first predicting what would happen in 2021." USDA economist Carolyn Chelius says her new Consumer Price Index shows grocery store food prices last month rising another two-tenths of a percent, leaving them one percent higher than March a year ago.
Beef went up another one percent in March, seven percent higher than a year ago. Pork was about five percent higher with poultry up about four and a half percent higher while egg prices jumped four point seven percent.
Chelius says three factors are helping to keep food prices up: one is the growing demand for food, especially livestock products. Two, the rising cost of feed for that livestock and three.
"An increase in the price of fuel has an impact on the price of products at the end" said Chelius.
Energy prices rose just under six percent last month and are 13 percent higher than a year ago.