The United States Department of Agriculture expects retail food prices to increase 3.5 to 4.5 percent this year, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.

The increase itself is the biggest since 2008, when prices rose 5.5 percent. The agency had been predicting an increase of 3 to 4 percent in its monthly forecast for retail food inflation since February.

Big food manufacturers and supermarkets are having more success in passing along at least some of the pent-up costs from the farm commodity price boom that began with grains back in 2007, despite an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent that has many households watching their pennies. As shoppers continue to trade down to cheaper products and buy fewer staple items, supermarkets and vendors are giving up volumes on products targeted for price increases.

Read the complete article here.