Here’s what’s getting more expensive — and cheaper — at the grocery store

Over the past few months, Americans have seen prices increasing in the grocery store.

The prices of food items eaten at home rose 1% in May, largely because meat is getting more expensive. Meat prices have been soaring as major processing plants temporarily closed their doors because workers fell ill with COVID-19.

At the same time, though, some items got cheaper last month. Here's a quick guide to what people were paying last month.

What got more expensive

For cereal fans, breakfast was more expensive in May: breakfast cereal prices went up 1.4%.

Lunch and dinner was likely more expensive, too.

Beef and veal prices rose 10.8%. The price increase for certain types of meat was even more dramatic: uncooked beef roasts soared 19.5%, and uncooked beef steak prices jumped 11.6%. Pork chops prices went up 8.4%. Fresh whole chickens cost 2% more. Rice, pasta and cornmeal prices rose 1.8%. Salt and other seasoning and spices went up 1%.

Vegetables, too, got more expensive.

Consumers paid 1.1% more for potatoes, 1.9% more for tomatoes and 1% more for frozen vegetables. Looking for a break with legumes? You won't find it: Dried beans, peas and lentils went up 4.9%.

And dessert wasn't so cheap last month, either. Ice cream rose 2.5%. Fresh cakes and cupcakes went up 1.8% and sugar and sugar substitutes cost 1.2% more.

What got cheaper

There were some bright spots for shoppers, especially people seeking a heartier breakfast than cereal.

Egg prices fell 4.8%. Bread fell 1.8%. Breakfast sausages fell 1.1%.

Roasted coffee fell 1.7%. Citrus fruit prices fell by 1.2%.

Other prices got lower, too — especially for shelf-stable goods.

Soup prices fell 3.3%. Canned vegetables fell 1.2%. Olives, pickles and relishes fell 2.4%.

And for those with a sweet tooth, cookie prices fell 3.1%.

Plus, food makers such as Campbell’s, Pepsi and Dannon are designing more value packs for their products, and supermarkets are still offering promotions, which shoppers like Willie Woods welcome.

“If he want it, we got to get it,” he said of his 4-year-old grandson.

And what didn’t really change

Fresh fish and seafood prices fell 0.1%, as did bacon costs. Lettuce got 0.1% more expensive, as did butter. Milk prices went down 0.4%

And if your head is spinning from how much it costs to stock up your fridge: Food costs away from home went up 0.4%.

News4Jax consumer investigative reporter Lauren Verno contributed to this report.