Market Trends: Wholesale Prices Tumble 4%, Commodity Jumps 5%
Get to know how food prices have changed and where they are going with your Market Trends Report. Each week we’ll show you how both Wholesale and Commodity prices have changed. We’ll also include an analysis of how we expect Wholesale prices to change over the coming weeks to help you make the best purchasing decisions, all for free.
Market Overview
A bit of a break for restaurant operators as average Wholesale prices drop 4% this week, which continues recent trends. In the past four weeks, Beef is down 13%, Pork is down 27%, and Chicken is down 3%. Produce is the outlier, being up 7% over that time period. While that has provided some relief, Wholesale prices are all still significantly above where they were 12 months ago.
Fresh Lettuce (+2.80%) continues to rise and sees the biggest increase in average Wholesale price this week followed by Ground Beef (+2.27%), Cod (+1.81%), and Fresh Bell Pepper (+0.87%). Fresh Lettuce is now up 49% over the past 12 months. Definitely, time to review your salad menu prices!
Pork is still falling off the meteoric Wholesale highs it hit earlier with Pork Shoulder dropping 14.03% and big decreases in Pork Loin (-11.16%), Beef Strip Loin (-11.13%), and Shell Eggs (-4.55%). We see smaller drops in Fresh Potato (-1.96%), Chicken Breast (-0.59%), Fresh Onion (-0.12%), and Chicken Wing (-0.10%).
Average Commodity prices point toward this cost break ending soon. Our average Commodity Price Index is up 5.17% this week 8 product categories see Commodity price increases, with some Produce categories up significantly. If your costs are getting out of control, keep an eye out for the discounts on alternative products that we still see each week.
Wholesale Price Changes
| Category | 12 Months | 3 Months | 1 Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | +7.5% | -2.1% | +1.6% |
| Shell Eggs | +75.1% | +6.6% | +3.1% |
| Pork Loin | +3% | -6.3% | -22.9% |
| Pork Shoulder | +42.1% | -6% | -30.7% |
| Fresh Lettuce | +48.9% | +38.8% | +31.5% |
| Fresh Potatoes | +109.4% | -4.3% | -5.6% |
| Chicken Breast | +21.8% | -4% | -1.8% |
| Fresh Bell Pepper | +41% | -0.7% | -0.6% |
| Fresh Onion | +72.5% | +5.2% | +2.2% |
| Beef Strip Loin | +3.1% | +7.8% | -17.1% |
| Chicken Wing | +1% | -11.9% | -4% |
| Cod | +39.3% | +4.7% | +2.2% |
| Wholesale | +18.3% | +0.7% | -9.4% |
Category Trends
Ground Beef
Wholesale (+2.27%) increases slightly more than expected. Commodity (+2.45%) continues to rise, so look for Wholesale to be up again next week.
Shell Eggs
Wholesale (-4.55%) drops more than expected. An increase in Commodity (+1.99%) means that Wholesale will likely be flat to up in the near term.
Pork Loin
Wholesale (-11.16%) continues to fall sharply. A drop in Commodity (-2.99%) means that Wholesale will continue to drop.
Pork Shoulder
Did the previous Wholesale price spike suppress demand too much? Wholesale (-14.03%) took another huge drop. Commodity (-2.91%) is also down so look for at least another week of this trend in Wholesale.
Fresh Lettuce
Wholesale (+2.80%) is up, but nowhere near what we would expect with the continued spike in Commodity (+17.25%). The Wholesale increase is going to be significant very soon.
Fresh Potatoes
Wholesale (-1.96%) drops as expected and Commodity (-2.51%) continues to fall. Look for Wholesale to follow that trend down next week.
Chicken Breast
A small increase in Wholesale (+0.15%) as expected. Commodity (+0.81%) is up slightly which means Wholesale should be flat to up near term.
Fresh Bell Pepper
Wholesale (-2.58%) falls unexpectedly while Commodity (+0.23%) stays relatively flat. Expect Wholesale to be flat to up next week.
Fresh Onion
A small decrease in Wholesale (-0.12%) but a big jump in Commodity (+17.52%) means Wholesale will likely jump next week.
Beef Strip Loin
Wholesale (-11.13%) drops even more than expected. Commodity (-0.31%) flattens out, which means expect Wholesale to be flat to down next week.
Chicken Wing
Wholesale (-0.10%) continues to stay flat, but the big jump in Commodity (+12.61%) is going to drive Wholesale up, so be ready.
Cod
Wholesale (+1.81%) increases as predicted. Commodity (+7.15%) trends up for two weeks in a row. That leads us to believe we'll see Wholesale increase near term.
Find your go-to products and cheaper alternatives in one consolidated view with FoodMaven Order Guide