Grocery Prices and Inflation: Why Food Still Feels Expensive Even as Grocery Inflation Slows
The short answer: grocery prices are still rising, just more slowly than before — and a slower rise does not bring prices back down. In September 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that food-at-home prices rose 1.8 percent from a year earlier and fell 0.1 percent from August. That is a cooling rate, not a cheaper grocery bill, and it explains much of why the checkout total still stings. What September's CPI report actually says The September 2026 Consumer Price Index release, published October 14, 2026, puts grocery inflation in context: All items rose 3.7 percent over the year and 0.6 percent over the month. Food overall rose 2.5 percent over the year and was unchanged over the month. Food at home — groceries — rose 1.8 percent over the year and fell 0.1 percent over the month. Food away from home — restaurants — rose 3.5 percent over the year and 0.2 percent over the month. Gasoline jumped 9.1 percent over the month and accounted for more than half of the ...