If your grocery bill still feels unpredictable, the latest inflation data shows why. The biggest price increases are spread across coffee, beef, produce, candy, and seafood rather than one obvious trouble spot. This list uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most detailed food-at-home categories and leaves out broader parent groups when a narrower category is available, so the same food is not counted twice.
Instant Coffee
Instant coffee had the largest increase on this list. Prices were 15.8% higher in July 2026 than in July 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is also well above the 2.7% increase for food at home overall.
Beef Roasts
Beef roasts were up 13.5% over the same 12 months. That makes roasts the fastest-rising beef cut in the detailed BLS data, ahead of steaks and ground beef. If a Sunday roast feels noticeably more expensive than it did last summer, the national numbers back that up.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes rose 12.8% from July 2025 to July 2026. There is a little relief in the latest monthly reading, though. The tomato index fell 4.3% from June to July on a seasonally adjusted basis, so the year-over-year increase is high even after a recent drop.
Apples
Apples climbed 11.1% over the past year. They also rose 2.2% from June to July on a seasonally adjusted basis. That puts apples well ahead of bananas, which were only 0.6% higher than a year earlier.
Beef Steaks
Steaks were 9.6% more expensive than a year ago. That is lower than the increase for beef roasts but still higher than the 9% gain for ground beef. Beef takes three spots on this list, making the meat case one of the clearest places to see higher prices.
Candy and Chewing Gum
Candy and chewing gum also rose 9.6% over the year. The broader sugar and sweets category increased 7.4%, so candy and gum outpaced the larger group. A small checkout treat may not look like a big expense, but its price has moved faster than the grocery average.
Roasted Coffee
Roasted coffee was up 9.4%. It is not rising quite as fast as instant coffee, but both forms land near the top of the list. The broader coffee category increased 10.3% over the same period.
Ground Beef
Ground beef rose 9% from July 2025 to July 2026. Prices did ease in the latest month, with the seasonally adjusted index down 1.6% from June. Even with that drop, ground beef is still much more expensive than it was a year ago.
Other Uncooked Poultry, Including Turkey
The BLS category called “other uncooked poultry including turkey” increased 8.4%. That wording matters because the figure is not a turkey-only price measure. Chicken moved the other way, with its index down 2.7% from a year earlier.
Fresh Fish and Seafood
Fresh fish and seafood prices rose 7.8% over the past year. The category also increased 1% from June to July on a seasonally adjusted basis. That puts fresh seafood above many everyday grocery categories in the latest 12-month comparison.
Frozen Fish and Seafood
Frozen fish and seafood tied fresh fish and seafood with a 7.8% annual increase. Its latest monthly change was smaller, up 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis, but the year-over-year gain still earns it a spot among the largest increases.
The Bottom Line
The useful part of this list is knowing where the biggest increases are now. Coffee, beef, produce, candy, and seafood dominate the top spots, while other grocery categories moved far less. The newest data can tell a very different story from the prices you remember seeing a few months ago.