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"ALABAMA SHOPPERS ENJOY SAVINGS ON BEEF, PORK"
"Montgomery, Ala." Alabama food prices fell 2 percent in October, reversing an upward trend that began in July. According to the Alabama Farmers Federation's monthly food price survey, the cost of 20 basic market basket items averaged $36.43, down 74 cents from last month, but up $1.30 or 3.7 percent from a year ago. Shoppers enjoyed the biggest savings this month on beef and pork. After edging higher for the past three months, beef prices plunged 3.9 percent in October. T-bone steaks were the best buy at $5.95 a pound, down 45 cents, while ground beef was basically unchanged at $1.42 a pound. Pork prices also took a nosedive this month, falling 4.5 percent. Pork chops were a bargain at $2.78 a pound, down 26 cents, and bacon was a lean $2.80 a pound, down 15 cents. Meanwhile, poultry prices were steady with fryers selling for 92 cents a pound while chicken breasts averaged $1.74 a pound. Eggs were a penny cheaper at 87 cents a dozen.
On the produce aisle, savings on lettuce and sweet potatoes led a 2.3 percent decline in prices. Lettuce was $1.09 a head, down from last month's high of $1.14, and sweet potatoes were a nickel cheaper at 71 cents a pound. In the dairy case, the perfect compliment to sweet potato pie, ice cream, was $2.61 a half gallon, down 11 cents from September. Savings on cottage cheese also helped to push dairy prices 1 percent lower, while milk edged 3 cents higher to $1.77 for a half gallon. Regional reports collected from around the state Oct. 2-9 showed the market basket total averaged $35.26 in northwest Alabama, $36.17 in south Alabama, $36.46 in central Alabama, and $37.71 in northeast Alabama.
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