Consumer food prices were unchanged in July thanks largely to declining meat costs, the Labor Dept. reported.
The consumer price index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs purchased at the grocery store dropped 0.6 percent last month, following a 0.7 percent decrease in June.
Over the last 12 months, meat, poultry, fish and egg prices together have fallen 5.6 percent. The decline has contributed to a decrease of 1.6 percent in the index for all food consumed at home over that time span.
In July, the index for food at home fell 0.2 percent, its seventh decline in the past nine months, the agency reported. Prices for dairy, cereal and bakery products fell last month, while fruits, vegetables and nonalcoholic beverages turned higher.
For all food, consumer prices rose 0.2 percent over the past year, the smallest 12-month increase since the period ended March 2010, the government said.