Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes decreased during May, led by the index for nonalcoholic beverages, which fell 0.6 percent to 167.9.
The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs declined 0.5 percent after rising 0.1 percent in April and 0.8 percent in March.
The index for dairy and related products fell 0.4 percent in May, its fourth consecutive decline, while the cereals and bakery products index decreased 0.1 percent.
The only two increases during the month occurred in the index for fruits and vegetables, which rose 0.4 percent to 283.1, and in the other food at home index, which rose 0.3 percent, its sixth consecutive increase.
The food at home index has increase 2.7 percent over the past 12 months, with the fruits and vegetables index declining 0.4 percent over that span and the other five groups increasing from 1.2 percent to 4.8 percent.
The overall Consumer Price Index, which was flat in April, fell 0.3 percent in May. The index now has increased 1.7 percent over the past 12 months.
