Some Iowa farmers may welcome the news but consumers won’t be thrilled — or surprised — to hear predictions that food prices will be rising in 2015, according to a report from the U-S-D-A. Agency economist Annemarie Kuhns says overall supermarket prices rose about two-and-a-half percent last year and we can expect more of the same in the year ahead. “In 2015, we’re expecting grocery store prices to rise two to three percent,” Kuhns says. The U-S-D-A’s Food Inflation Forecast details how beef prices are up about 19-percent from a year ago and those prices will likely continue to climb still-higher.

“We are forecasting beef and veal prices to rise five to six percent,” Kuhns says. The report predicts pork prices and dairy prices will also rise two-to-three percent, along with fresh vegetables, too. Kuhns says, “It’s going to be a lot of the items around the perimeter of the store, some of the meats, produce, that will see slightly higher-than-average inflation than a lot of the goods within the center aisles, the non-perishable goods, cereals, bakery products, sugars and sweets and non-alcoholic beverages.”

Look for changes on the menu at your favorite eatery, as well. The survey predicts restaurant prices will be rising an average of three-percent over last year.

(Radio Iowa)