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Six food items boost food-costs in January

Barbecued turkey tails
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Basic Food Index for January 2021 recorded a “significant increase of 1.6%” from December 2020, and this is due to the “high cost in turkey tails, chicken legs, fish, rice, ice cream and corned beef,” according to the index report released last week by the Commerce Department.

Turkey tails and chicken legs have the “greatest month-over-month price increases,” the report said, and explained that turkey tail prices went up by 9.0% followed by the hike in chicken legs at 6.3%.

Four stores — which were not part of the seven major food outlets selected for the monthly survey — concurred that has been a price spike in turkey tails and chicken legs. In separate brief interviews, they all said that during late December, followed by January and into last month, there was a shortage of cases of chicken and that may have attributed to the hike in prices for chicken legs.

“Turkey tails also still remain a huge purchase food item by customers,” said one store owner, noting that customers buy chicken legs and turkey tails by the case.

According to the BFI report, only three food items decreased in price in January and they include pork spare ribs, canned tuna and eggs. The rest of the food items not specifically mentioned, remained constant from the previous month.

For details and more information contact DOC’s Statistics Division at 633-5155 or email [americansamoastatistics@doc.as].