The Consumer Price Index for food and beverages increased for the second straight month, moving up 0.4% in January after rising 0.2% in December, ending at 236.2, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor. The food index also moved up 0.4%, ending at 236.3 in January.
Three major grocery store food group indexes increased in January, led by dairy and related products, which rose 0.4%. It was the sixth consecutive month-over-month increase for the category.
Meanwhile, the index for fruits and vegetables increased 0.3%, its third straight month of such an increase.
The index for cereals and bakery products increased 0.1% in January, which followed gains of 0.2% in both December and November.
In contrast, the index for nonalcoholic beverages declined 0.5% in January, and the index for other food at home fell 0.2%. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs was unchanged.
Over the past 12 months, the food at home index has risen 1.1%, the B.L.S. said, with the fruits and vegetables index posting the largest increase over that span, rising 2.9%, while the indexes for both nonalcoholic beverages and dairy and related products both declined.
The overall Consumer Price Index was flat for the second month in a row.
