Food prices skyrocket

Food prices were up 3.9 percent in April over a year ago. The overall inflation rate in the same period: 2.6 percent.

Over the past five years, food prices have risen 12.2 percent nationwide. Among the fastest-rising items: bread, beef, eggs, apples, lettuce, oranges, salad dressing and soft drinks.

Chicago hasn’t been hit as hard as many big cities. Still, shoppers here are paying 2.2 percent more, on average, for groceries than they did a year ago, and nearly 8 percent more than five years ago, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

DailySouthTown