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Another hike in the cost of basic food — cost on half of the items tracked up

22 lb. box of chicken legs
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Ten food commodities contributed to the increase in the Basic Food Index (BFI) in December 2021, according to the BFI report released recently by the Commerce Department’s Statistical Division. It also says that the BFI in December registered a “substantial increase of 2.4%” from November.

According to the report, ten out of twenty food commodities contributed to December’s increase in the BFI, while the other ten food items — soft drinks, fish, bottle water, taro, fresh milk, sausage, banana, canned tuna, bread, sugar and mayonnaise — remained constant throughout December.

The food items that recorded price increases in December: chicken legs (6.1%), rice (5.4%), pork spare ribs (1.6%), ramen (2.2%), ice cream (2.6%), turkey tails (1.2%), eggs (1.9%, corned beef (1.3%) and butter (6.1%).

Seven major food outlets were selected for the survey. DOC emphasized that the BFI is a rapid food assessment conducted on a monthly basis on a subgroup of food items and not to be confused with the quarterly full Consumer Price Index assessment.