Fresh produce shows 0.3 percent inflation in December 2025

Fresh fruits and vegetables posted 0.3 percent inflation from December 2024 to 2025, while overall food saw 3.1 percent year-over-year inflation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, released today.

Fresh fruit recorded 0.7 percent inflation from December 2024 to 2025. By category, apples were up 1.3 percent, bananas were up 5.9 percent, and citrus was up 0.8 percent.

Fresh vegetables saw deflation of 0.2 percent from December 2024 to 2025. By category, potatoes were down 3.4 percent year-over-year, lettuce was up 7.3 percent, and tomatoes were down 3.0 percent.

Overall fruits and vegetables were up 0.5 percent year-over-year, as processed fruits and vegetables were up 1.5 percent, but frozen was flat at zero percent rise.

BLS released the following from its monthly Consumer Price Index report on January 12, 2026:

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX – DECEMBER 2025

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The index for shelter rose 0.4 percent in December and was the largest factor in the all items monthly increase. The food index increased 0.7 percent over the month as did the food at home index and the food away from home index. The index for energy rose 0.3 percent in December.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in December. Indexes that increased over the month include recreation, airline fares, medical care, apparel, personal care, and education. The indexes for communication, used cars and trucks, and household furnishings and operations were among the major indexes that decreased in December.

The all items index rose 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending December, the same increase as over the 12 months ending November. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.6 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index increased 2.3 percent for the 12 months ending December. The food index increased 3.1 percent over the last year.

Food

The index for food rose 0.7 percent in December as did the index for food at home. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in December. The index for other food at home rose 1.6 percent over the month. The cereals and bakery products index increased 0.6 percent in December. The index for fruits and vegetables increased 0.5 percent and the index for nonalcoholic beverages increased 0.4 percent. The dairy and related products index rose 0.9 percent in December. In contrast, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs decreased 0.2 percent in December, as the index for eggs fell 8.2 percent.

The food away from home index also rose 0.7 percent in December. The index for full service meals rose 0.8 percent over the month and the index for limited service meals increased 0.6 percent.

The index for food at home rose 2.4 percent over the 12 months ending in December. The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index rose 3.9 percent over the last 12 months. The index for other food at home increased 2.7 percent over the same period and the index for nonalcoholic beverages rose 5.1 percent. The cereals and bakery products index increased 1.5 percent over the 12 months ending in December. The index for fruits and vegetables rose 0.5 percent over the year. In contrast, the dairy and related products index decreased 0.9 percent over the same period.

The food away from home index rose 4.1 percent over the last year. The index for full service meals rose 4.9 percent and the index for limited service meals rose 3.3 percent over the same period.