Food shoppers are saving about 10 cents on the dollar compared to this time last year, according to the most recent data from the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey.
It gauges prices across the state. Analysts at the bureau said it was one of the biggest spreads in years.
When comparing the third quarter data to the second quarter of 2016, retail food prices are down about 1 percent. Of the 16 items surveyed in Arizona, six decreased and ten increased.
Chicken had the largest price decrease from the second to the third quarter, down $1.88 to $2.48 a pound. Ground chuck, vegetable oil, oat cereal, sirloin roast and bread also saw decreases.
"We anticipated another drop in food prices knowing how low agriculture commodity prices are right now," said Arizona Farm Bureau's Communication Director, Julie Murphree. "Families should take advantage of meat prices once again as they have mostly decreased in the group of 16 items. We continue to encourage Arizona families to keep hunting for those bargains in our basics like your meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy and eggs to stretch your food dollars. While you and I, as shoppers, can celebrate low food prices, extended low agriculture commodities for farmers means a re-evaluation of their product mix in farming."
Eggs showed the largest increase, up $.51 to $2.20 a dozen. The price of shredded cheese, milk, bacon, deli ham, potatoes, apples, salad mix, flour and orange juice also went up.
