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SAVINGS ON PRODUCE OFFSET HIGHER BEEF PRICES
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Savings on produce offset higher beef prices as Alabama food prices fell one-tenth of 1 percent in July, according to the Alabama Farmers Federation's monthly food price survey. The survey, which was conducted by volunteers across Alabama July 1-8, showed the cost of 20 basic market basket items averaged $43.68 in July, down 6 cents from last month. Beef prices rose 4.7 percent in July, an increase of 20 cents per pound over last month. "This shows consumers still have confidence that America has the safest beef supply in the world, despite recent news about BSE," said Perry Mobley, the Federation's beef director. The price of T-bone steaks averaged $8.34 per pound in July, up 80 cents for the month. The average price of ground beef fell 12 cents while chuck roasts were down 8 cents. Ground beef averaged $2.04 per pound, and the price of chuck roasts averaged $2.99 per pound. Meanwhile, the average price of produce fell 9 percent. Tomatoes dropped 36 cents to an average price of $1.25 per pound in July, and the average price of red potatoes was 62 cents, a decrease of 11 cents from last month. Pork prices also fell slightly in July, decreasing four-tenths of 1 percent. The average price of pork chops was $3.18 per pound, down 13 cents, while bacon increased 8 cents to $3.24 per pound. Boston butts rose to $1.64 per pound, an increase of 3 cents over last month. Meanwhile, average prices for chicken were up 3 percent in July while the average price of eggs increased 10.3 percent. Chicken breasts were up 8 cents to an average price of $1.92 per pound.
The average price of fryers fell 1 cent per pound to 95 cents. The price of eggs increased to 86 cents per dozen, up 8 cents from June. The price of dairy products fell 2 percent for the month. The average price of milk decreased 1 cent per half-gallon to $2.06, while the price of ice cream fell 6 cents to $2.94 per half-gallon. Butter averaged $3.08 per pound, down 8 cents from June. Regional reports across the state showed the average market basket cost $41.90 in northwest Alabama, $45.21 in northeast Alabama, $42.94 in central Alabama, and $44.30 in south Alabama.
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