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Grocery Prices · Food at Home
Fats and Oils prices are -0.2% compared to a year ago — prices are falling, providing relief to households. This is 3.4 percentage points below overall food inflation. For the average household, this saves roughly $0.0/year on fats & oils spending.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U · Latest: April 2026
Annual Change
-0.2%
year-over-year · April 2026
Monthly Change
-0.7%
seasonally adjusted MoM
Overall Food Inflation
+3.2%
all food categories · April 2026
The average U.S. household spends approximately $11.0/month on fats & oils. With prices down -0.2%, that same amount now costs about $11.0/month — $0.0 less per month than a year ago, saving households roughly $0.0/year.
Typical monthly spending estimate based on BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2020 averages. Actual amounts vary by household size and location.
Overall food inflation is running at +3.2% annually. Fats and Oils at -0.2% is rising more slowly than the average — it is providing some relief relative to other food costs.
| Category | Annual Change | Monthly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Food at Home | +2.9% | +0.7% |
| Cereals & Bakery Products | +2.6% | +0.1% |
| Meats | +8.8% | +1.8% |
| Beef & Veal | +14.8% | +2.7% |
| Poultry | +0.5% | -0.9% |
| Fish & Seafood | +6.2% | +1.5% |
| Eggs | -39.2% | +1.5% |
| Milk | +0.5% | +1.6% |
| Fresh Fruits | +2.1% | +0.8% |
| Fresh Vegetables | +11.5% | +3.9% |
| Coffee | +18.5% | +2.0% |
| Fats & Oils ◀ | -0.2% | -0.7% |
Food prices can fall when several forces work in the opposite direction from inflation: bumper crop harvests increase supply and push farm-gate prices down; lower energy costs reduce fertilizer, transportation, and cold-chain expenses; improved supply chains ease logistics bottlenecks built up during prior years; and in some categories, demand softens as consumers trade down or reduce purchases after a period of elevated prices.
The BLS measures fats & oils prices monthly as part of the Consumer Price Index. The annual figure of -0.2% reflects the average price change from April 2026 one year ago to April 2026 today — meaning the same basket of fats & oils costs less now than it did then.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U · Updated monthly · bls.gov · Price Inflation Report