Within food at home, the six major grocery store food group indexes were mixed in December. Four of the six posted increases during the month.
The major gainer during December was the index for nonalcoholic beverages, which rose 0.5 percent. The index had declined 0.2 percent in November.
For the second month in a row, the index for dairy and related products rose 0.4 percent, while meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 0.3 percent.
Also advancing 0.3 percent in the month was other food at home. The index had increased 0.5 percent in November.
Partially offsetting the increases was a sharp decline in the index for fruits and vegetables, which fell 1.5 percent in December after falling 0.7 percent in November. The index for cereals and bakery products also was lower, declining 0.1 percent in the month.
The food at home index was unchanged in December, its second straight month of flat pricing and the third time in four months it has registered no change.
The overall Consumer Price Index increased 0.3 percent in December. Over the past 12 months, the index has increased 1.5 percent.
