Which groceries are soaring in price? We did the math

SAN ANTONIO – If you think your cart of groceries is costing more, you’re not wrong.

“I just paid $200 for this,” said Dee Heisler as she loaded her Walmart bags into her trunk. “Meats, meats hurt a lot.”

All major food categories are up, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The November Consumer Price Index for food at home rose 6.4%, the beefiest annual increase in 13 years.

The increase is caused by number of factors - labor shortages, transportation costs, the price of packaging and a jump in demand. In short, inflation has made its way to grocery aisles.

But what about grocery shopping in San Antonio? How much more are we paying here? To find out, we dug up receipts from December 2020 and then compared the prices on the same products this mid-December.

The check was for 50 foods for curbside pickup at the same North Side H-E-B, the region’s dominant grocer.

The same groceries that cost $202.37 last year, now cost about $20 more.

Here’s some of what we found:

A pound of ground sirloin is up more than four percent. Last year, a prime ribeye steak cost $16.47 per pound. This year, it’s up nearly 32% to $21.62 per pound.

It’s costing more to bring home the bacon, too. It’s up 11.5%.

Fresh Atlantic salmon is costing 20% more.

Depending on what you buy, food prices may be eating your lunch and breakfast, too.

A box of Raisin Bran Crunch is up more than four percent. And, a box of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats costs 9.8% more than one year ago.

In the produce aisle, the head of iceberg lettuce is up 12.3% while a five-pound bag of mandarin oranges is up by 44%.

And, don’t forget the ice cream. A half-gallon carton is up 11.7%.

“Definitely, we’re getting less food for our money everywhere I go,” said shopper Janet Murray.

But hang on. Many of the groceries cost exactly the same as one year ago. And, those include many staples like milk, bread, eggs, orange juice, and coffee. HEB’s natural boneless, skinless chicken thighs still cost $3.08 per pound, the same as one year ago. Pork chops are the same price, too.

“While industry-wide issues continue to impact prices of certain items, HEB works hard to absorb cost increases so we can keep offering some of the lowest prices in the nation,” said HEB in a written statement.

Wherever you shop, prices are climbing, and economists expect a continuation into next year.

Finally, there’s one more reason to eat your peas. A bag of frozen peas actually dropped a few pennies in price.

Here’s the full breakdown of grocery prices: