Food Prices

Discover research on food price drivers, supply chain impacts, and consumer cost trends from the Kansas City Fed’s Center for Agriculture and the Economy.

The Dynamics of Food Prices

Food prices are shaped by more than farm-level commodity prices. U.S. food prices reflect a complex mix of factors, including supply chain processing, packaging, transportation, and retail margins. The following research and articles offer insights into how economic conditions, trade dependencies, and investment trends affect the food system and consumer prices.

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14 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
EconQuest: Where Learning Meets Real-World Economics How Do Food Prices Help Measure Inflation? Consumer Price Index Economics Inflation Research Food Prices Services Inflation	Expandable Row	January 27, 2026 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Firm-Level Pass-Through of Supply Chain Disruptions: Insights from the U.S. Beef Market A supply disruption’s effect on retail prices depends on the magnitude of the shock and the perceived reliability of the seller. Research Working Paper Food Prices Agriculture Manufacturing	Francisco Scott Marco Duarte Meilin Ma Expandable Row	November 25, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Food and Agriculture Economic Summit Highlights Factors Influencing Investment in Food Production and Distribution In June, industry experts met at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Food and Agriculture Economic Summit to discuss future investment in food and agriculture. Participants discussed several factors driving investment decisions, including emerging technologies, consumer trends, and recent economic developments. However, they also highlighted several constraints on investment, including costs associated with capital deployment, labor market conditions, and policy uncertainty. Economic Bulletin Food Prices Agriculture	Ty Kreitman Nate Kauffman Expandable Row	August 15, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Ag Summit highlights food production and distribution trends In June, the Kansas City Fed’s Omaha Branch hosted its Food and Agriculture Economic Summit. This year’s event theme was “Investment in Food Production and Distribution." Ten Food Prices Omaha Branch Agriculture	Expandable Row	August 13, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Ask an Economist: Why key agricultural trade partners are important for the farm sector and food prices Associate Economist Ty Kreitman explores how major changes to trade relationships could lead to reduced agricultural revenue and higher prices for consumers. Ask an Economist Ten Magazine Trade Food Prices Agriculture	Expandable Row	July 15, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Is It Time to Add Food-at-Home Inflation to Measures of Core Inflation? Since the mid-1970s, the Federal Reserve has used core inflation to examine trends in underlying inflation. Core inflation is considered a more stable measure as it excludes energy and food, historically viewed as the most volatile components of inflation. However, core inflation can be a challenge for central bankers to communicate, as food inflation is highly salient to consumers. We argue that food-at-home inflation has become less volatile over time and could be added to measures of core inflation with few drawbacks. Monetary Policy Economic Bulletin Food Prices Agriculture Inflation	Francisco Scott José Mustre-del-Río Amaze Lusompa Jalen Nichols Expandable Row	June 6, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Key Agricultural Trade Partners Are Important for U.S. Farm Sector Revenues and Food Prices The U.S. agricultural sector is especially vulnerable to fluctuations in trade with Mexico, Canada, and China. Several major commodities and staple consumer food products rely heavily on exports to and imports from these countries. Major changes to these key trade relationships could lead to reduced farm sector revenues and higher food prices for consumers. International Economic Bulletin Food Prices Agriculture	Ty Kreitman Expandable Row	April 4, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Agriculture and the Federal Reserve Remarks given to USDA’s 101st Agricultural Outlook Forum. Jeff Schmid Speeches Agriculture Speeches Food Prices Agriculture	Jeffrey Schmid Expandable Row	February 27, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
The Passthrough of Agricultural Commodity Prices to Food Prices Agricultural commodities prices have had a small and uncertain effect on changes in food prices at least since 2008. Research Working Paper Food Prices Agriculture Inflation	Francisco Scott Amaze Lusompa David Rodziewicz Cortney Cowley Jacob Dice Expandable Row	December 20, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
An Experimental Analysis of Quality Misperception in Food Labels Consumers’ misperception of labels alters sellers’ strategic responses and can increase quality and total welfare in food markets. Research Working Paper Food Prices Agriculture	Francisco Scott Expandable Row	October 19, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row

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Food Prices

The Dynamics of Food Prices

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Filter Archived Content

EconQuest: Where Learning Meets Real-World Economics

Firm-Level Pass-Through of Supply Chain Disruptions: Insights from the U.S. Beef Market

Food and Agriculture Economic Summit Highlights Factors Influencing Investment in Food Production and Distribution

Ag Summit highlights food production and distribution trends

Ask an Economist: Why key agricultural trade partners are important for the farm sector and food prices

Is It Time to Add Food-at-Home Inflation to Measures of Core Inflation?

Key Agricultural Trade Partners Are Important for U.S. Farm Sector Revenues and Food Prices

Agriculture and the Federal Reserve

The Passthrough of Agricultural Commodity Prices to Food Prices

An Experimental Analysis of Quality Misperception in Food Labels