FOOD PRICE FORECASTS
U.S. food price forecasts, category by category
USDA ERS Food Price Outlook forecasts with their intervals for 2026 and 2027
This hub lists every food and food-group category in the ERS current forecast file, in the order the file itself uses. Each category page gives the forecast interval and its midpoint for 2026 and 2027, the latest month-to-month and year-over-year change, annual figures for 2024 and 2025, the 20-year average and relative importance, and a record of how that category’s earlier forecasts compared with the final figures.
All 22 CPI food categories
| Category | 2026 midpoint | 2027 midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| All food | 2.9% | 2% |
| Food away from home | 3.5% | 2.6% |
| Food at home | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| Meats, poultry, and fish | 4.7% | 2.5% |
| Meats | 5.2% | 1.1% |
| Beef and veal | 9.4% | 4.7% |
| Pork | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| Other meats | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| Poultry | 1% | 1.5% |
| Fish and seafood | 5.9% | 1.3% |
| Eggs | -29.4% | 0.8% |
| Dairy products | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| Fats and oils | -0.8% | 3.4% |
| Fruits and vegetables | 3.9% | 1.2% |
| Fresh fruits and vegetables | 3.9% | 1.4% |
| Fresh fruits | 2.5% | 2.3% |
| Fresh vegetables | 5.7% | -0.5% |
| Processed fruits and vegetables | 3.1% | 2.8% |
| Sugar and sweets | 6.6% | 3.4% |
| Cereals and bakery products | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Nonalcoholic beverages | 4.2% | 2.6% |
| Other foods | 2.1% | 1.5% |
The midpoint column is the centre of the published forecast interval. A full interval and its bounds are on each category page.
Source record: changes-in-consumer-price-indexes-2024-through-2027, from the USDA Economic Research Service Food Price Outlook. Figures cover August 2026. Data fetched 2026-09-28.