Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Food prices overall decreased slightly (-1.4%) for the month of September in American Samoa — and some of these price drops are on popular food items for the upcoming White Sunday celebration — like ice cream, spare ribs and chicken. 

The nine specific food items responsible for the decrease are: eggs (-14.3%) $3.88 down from a summer high of $5.13, chicken (-2.3%) $19.31 for a 10 kg case, rice (-1.8%) $4.99 for 5lbs, saimin (- 1.7%) 59¢ a pkg, pork spare ribs (-1.6%) $1.87 lb, sausage 0.9%) $2.15 lb, fresh fish (-0,8%) $4.96 lb, ice cream (-0.7%) $9.54 2 ltr size, and butter (-0.2%) $4.96.

However, a few have increased: turkey tail (3.5%) $2.38, bread (0.8%) $3.59, banana (0.6%) $1.58, corned beef (0.4%) $5.72, tuna (0.4%) $2.41, and sugar (0.3%) $3.71.

Food commodities like mayonnaise, milk, soda, taro, and water have remained stable in September, despite other price fluctuations.

Over this same time period in the U.S., many consumers reported groceries were harder to afford, and tariffs were identified as a factor contributing to the price increases.

The Basic Food Index is a monthly rapid assessment of basic food items, to monitor the cost and availability of these 20 food products throughout the community.

The BFI is not to be confused with the Quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a comprehensive standard measure of inflation and the cost of living in American Samoa.

A major upgrade to the survey coverage was implemented at the beginning of 2022, when 7 additional stores were included in the data collection process, extending coverage from Se'etaga in the West to Amouli in the East. In total, 14 major to mid-size retail stores have been selected for the monitoring of basic food costs.