Grocery prices mostly flat for September: Here’s how key household items changed

NewsThe Bureau of Labor Statistics released a monthly report that showed the cost of groceries was flat from August to September, but were up year-over year. (Getty Images)Oscar Wong | Getty ImagesBy Matt Durr | mattdurr@mlive.comWhile grocery prices are higher than they were a year ago, Americans didn’t feel an extra pinch in September. Data released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows overall grocery prices were up just 0.1% last month.Depending on the item, some common household goods were up as much as 4.3%, while others were down as much as 2.6% month over month. Following the cyclosporiasis outbreak from earlier this year, lettuce prices continued to rise, jumping 4.3% from August to September. Tomatoes were up 1.2%, while bananas jumped by 1%. However, apples saw prices come down by 1.4% and potatoes dropped by 1.2%. Peanut butter and rice each rose 1.1%, while eggs climbed 1%. Meanwhile, butter fell 2.6%, and both milk and flour dropped 2% from August to SeptemberWhile the changes from August to September were relatively minor, year-over-year costs are much different. Headlining that list is the cost of eggs which were down 20.6% from September 2025 to September 2026. Butter is also down double digits, as its price has dropped by 10.3%. On the flip side, several other household staples are up over 5% from last year. That includes:Apples: +7.5%Coffee: +7.1%Rice: +7.1%Fish and seafood: +6.9%Tomatoes: +6.8%Ground beef (uncooked): +5.4%Several factors are contributing to price changes, including ongoing fuel costs that make shipping more expensive. Tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, weather, crop production and the global marketplace are also affecting certain items.How select food items changed in September 2026Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, September 2026. Unadjusted percent change. Annual change compares September 2026 with September 2025; monthly change compares August 2026 with September 2026.Food item12-month change1-month changeApples+7.5%-1.4%Baby food and formula-1.0%-1.0%Bananas-0.8%+1.0%Bread+3.3%-0.1%Breakfast cereal+3.0%+0.9%Butter-10.3%-2.6%Cheese and related products-3.0%+0.2%Chicken-0.6%+0.7%Coffee+7.1%+0.6%Eggs-20.6%+1.0%Fish and seafood+6.9%+0.1%Flour and prepared flour mixes-1.1%-2.0%Ground beef (uncooked)+5.4%-1.2%Lettuce+2.6%+4.3%Meats, poultry and fish+2.2%-0.3%Milk+2.3%-2.0%Peanut butter+3.8%+1.1%Pork-0.7%0.0%Potatoes+1.1%-1.2%Rice+7.1%+1.1%Tomatoes+6.8%+1.2%Matt has been a trending news reporter since 2016. He covers a range of topics while focusing on national lottery, automotive news and recalls, FBI warnings, scam alerts and national real estate trends....