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# GRAPHIC: Food prices — especially meat — are outstripping historical inflation
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-food-prices-especially-meat-are-outstripping-historical-inflation/
- Published: 2022-03-02T14:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2022-03-02T14:00:00.000Z
- Description: In the past 20 years, inflation on food prices was about 2% each year. Last year, it jumped.
- Author: Amanda Perez Pintado, Investigate Midwest/Report for America
- Tags: Meat industry, Data Harvest, National, CPI, TP::Explainer, grocery store, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Over the past 20 years, inflation on food prices has averaged about 2% per year. But, last year, inflation accelerated.

Between 2020 and 2021, inflation on food prices jumped 3.5% — an upswing of 75%, according to [an analysis](https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=76961&ref=investigatemidwest.org) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Meat and fish prices led the way: beef and veal rose 9.3%; pork, 8.6%; and fish and seafood, 5.4%. The new data reflects [a trend of meat prices rising faster](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-consumer-price-index-shows-meat-prices-increasing-faster-than-other-goods/) than prices for other kinds of food.

The USDA [expects](https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/?ref=investigatemidwest.org) the high prices to continue in 2022\. The inflation will likely be between 2% and 3%, the agency predicted.

The USDA based its analysis on the Consumer Price Index, a measure of the average change in prices over time of goods and services.

*Amanda Pérez Pintado is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.*

*Top image: A shopper examines a package of meat in a grocery store for freshness on Jan. 17, 2012\. [USDA photo by Stephen Ausmus](https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/8411827143/in/photolist-dPjP9t-kUwwBR-kUwyaH-kUxQMN-L7V7FY-kUwAbM-kUvP5V-KekosZ-L7UHxJ-kUzfod-L1w4WY-kUvq6Z-Ke3sES-kUvXV8-kUz2ZV-kUwLcM-kUvXua-8Lh8wp-2iphuZW-2iphv3b-XrHBRF-bmMjSn-BJasYz-bb3f8k-2eFK5xk-kUwcLV-WFoamR-SxCYBN-bmMiuc-FojTUQ-bmMiNz-2i1dVGS-biHz5D-bb37K4-2eFK5Jn-8Lh8kH-29HUK59-2jXhzQU-N6iWtT-28DVC8P-gSeVGC-bj7VYr-bcgSPD-LjXTGw-dQu7VA-kUw4M8-LaRCDn-L1yP5Y-e7KKix-SxCW77?ref=investigatemidwest.org)*