After the United States saw record gas prices last month, consumers can also expect to pay more at the grocery store and dining out as food costs are expected to rise, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts. 

The USDA’s Food Price Outlook 2022, the agency’s Consumer Price Index for food which measures inflation, is up 7.9% from February 2021, the largest increase since May 1981.

In total, food prices at grocery stores and supermarkets are expected to increase 3%-4% this year after already seeing a 6.8% jump from January 2021. Restaurant purchases are also 8.6% higher than in February 2021 and are expected to jump by 5.5%-6.5%.

The USDA noted the increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are key factors in the pressure on food prices. 

“The situations will be closely monitored to assess the net impacts of these concurrent events on food prices as they unfold,” the report reads. 

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