BONHAM, TEXAS – Grocery prices in Texas were supposed to take a sharp increase this year, but data from the first quarter reveals a slight drop in grocery prices statewide from the fourth quarter of 2011.

Residents of Fannin County shared in the statewide savings of 64 cents compared to the last quarter of 2011 on a basket of 16 staple food items.

“Grocery prices affect us all so we are happy to see them slow down a little,” said Jerry Magness, Fannin County Farm Bureau president.

The Texas Farm Bureau’s Grocery Price Watch is an informal survey conducted each quarter. This report showed the biggest savings in fresh produce. Shoppers paid less for grapefruit, lettuce and tomatoes. These items decreased 28.1 percent, 8.2 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, from last quarter.
 
Of the 16 food staples surveyed, 10 items either decreased in price or stayed the same, while the remaining six items increased in price from last quarter.

Grocery Price Watch results show only a $1.03 increase in the basket, from $43.95 in the first quarter of 2011 to $44.98 for the first quarter of this year.
 
“That’s a 2.33 percent difference,” Magness said. “It’s a far cry from the 5 percent increase in food prices that experts predicted.”