Indiana Farm Bureau finds increase in grocery store prices

This year, the average price of the 16 food items included in the survey totaled $53.32, an increase of $2.14 from the fall of 2014.

Indiana’s average is 82 cents cheaper than the national American Farm Bureau average for the basket, which dropped 12 cents from the spring survey.

The 15 Indiana shoppers who participated in the informal survey bought the same 16 items during the same seven-day period. They were not allowed to use coupons or buy sale items, but could shop at any store they wanted. The survey usually tracks closely with the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

Eggs were the biggest contributor to the increase in cost. An outbreak of avian flu this summer led to a loss of 48 million birds nationwide, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. With flocks decimated, the price for a dozen large eggs skyrocketed from $1.86 last fall to $3.08 per dozen in September, according to the bureau survey.