20 Groceries Driving Up Your Food Bill the Most During Coronavirus

Between January and February, the price of sugar and sugar substitutes climbed by 0.54% — double the inflation rate across all goods and services. The price of sugar started climbing in December 2019 and is not higher than it has been in over half a decade.

Pet food prices climbed by about 0.7% between January and February, far faster than the overall inflation rate of about 0.3%. Over the last half decade, the price of pet food has climbed slower than overall inflation. The current rapidly climbing prices of pet food might be a sign of a new trend as demand for pet food is projected to increase in the coming years, and demand is often a driver of inflation.

Rice, pasta, and cornmeal are one of several shelf-stable food items that have rapidly increased in price relative to overall inflation. Between January and February 2020, the price of rice, pasta, and cornmeal climbed by 0.72%, more than double the price increase across all consumer goods of 0.27%.

The price of carbonated drinks from grocery stores climbed over 1% between January and February — more than triple the overall inflation rate. The price of carbonated drinks remained relatively level from about 2011 through 2018, when prices began climbing, more closely mirroring overall inflation.

One of the most common explanations for inflation is consumer demand, and as the coronavirus spreads across the United States, many Americans began stocking up on shelf-stable food items — like canned fruits. Between January and February, the price of canned fruit jumped by 1.03%.