By the Numbers: Latest Food Price Outlook for Fruits and Vegetables

It’s fair to say most everyone is feeling the weight of financial pressures at the moment. Geopolitical wranglings over the last year-plus in particular have knocked the economy way off balance. The financial squeeze is real — on nearly all facets of the economy. Fluctuations in food prices on the retail level as well as farm level have been noteworthy. Check out some standout statistics from USDA’s Economic Research Service as it documents the latest Food Price Outlook.

For this purpose, our focus is on fruits and vegetables. The following data are based on USDA ERS’ September 2026 Food Price Outlook, which incorporates the August 2026 Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index numbers.

Food Price Outlook for Fresh Fruits 

According to USDA ERS, prices for farm-level fruits decreased 2.6% from July 2026 to August 2026 but were 7.6% higher in August 2026 than in August 2025.

ERS forecasts farm-level fruit prices will decrease 4.1% overall in 2026.

Other notables:

• Retail fresh fruit prices were 3.8% higher in August than a year earlier.
• USDA forecasts retail fresh fruit prices will average 2.5% higher in 2026 vs. 2025.

Food Price Outlook for Fresh Vegetables 

Year-over-year prices for farm-level vegetables from Jan. 2026 through June 2026 were higher than in 2025, USDA ERS notes. However, prices fell 29.4% from June 2026 to July 2026 and another 2.7% from July 2026 to August 2026. As a result, farm-level fresh vegetable prices were 19.1% lower in July 2026 than in July 2025 and 7.3% lower in August 2026 than in August 2025.

The USDA report does not address whether the Cyclospora outbreak played any role in the July drop. The decline, however, coincides with the height of the market disruption, when some major lettuce growers were reporting mowing under significant portions of their crops as demand fell.

Despite these recent price decreases, ERS forecasts farm-level vegetable prices will increase 16% in 2026.

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Other notables:

• Retail fresh vegetable prices were 2.6% higher in August than a year earlier.
• USDA forecasts retail fresh vegetable prices to average 5.7% higher in 2026.

Overall Food Price Outlook Picture

Prices for all foods are forecast to increase 2.9%, in 2026 with a forecast interval of 2.5% to 3.2%. For 2027, prices for all food are forecast to increase 2%.

Stay tuned as the numbers change with each report. The next Food Price Outlook from USDA is expected to release Oct. 25.

To view more food price index information, visit ers.usda.gov.