We spend less of our money on groceries than we did 30 years ago.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / NPR
The way we spend our grocery money has also changed.
We now spend a much bigger share of our grocery money on processed foods, which includes things like frozen dinners, canned soups and snacks. We spend much less on meat, largely because meat is much cheaper than it was 30 years ago.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / NPR
“We’ve seen major restructuring in poultry, pork and beef industries that has allowed efficiencies and brought down the cost,” Walter Falcon, a Stanford economist who’s an expert on food, told me.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / NPR
Here’s one more chart for you if you want to compare prices then and now:
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Credit: Lam Thuy Vo / NPR
