September 04, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Food PPI in 2006

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished consumer foods rose 1.7 percent in 2006, following an identical gain in 2005 and a 3.1-percent advance in 2004.

[Chart data—TXT]

In 2006, price increases for fresh fruits and melons, processed fruits and vegetables, bakery products, eggs for fresh use, soft drinks, shortening and cooking oils, and processed young chickens outweighed price declines for beef and veal, fresh and dry vegetables, finfish and shellfish, and dairy products.

The index for fresh fruits and melons advanced 29.5 percent in 2006, following a 12.2-percent decline a year earlier. A late frost in California, along with the residual effects of two active hurricane seasons in Florida, devastated the supply of fruits and melons and led the fruits and melons index to its highest levels since 1991.

These data are from the BLS Producer Price Index program. Annual percent changes are December to December. Learn more in "Price highlights, 2006: energy goods retreat, moderating producer prices," (PDF) by Tammy Hredzak, Joseph Kowal, Antonio Lombardozzi, and William Snyders, Monthly Labor Review, July/August 2007.