Newly released Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from Antigua and Barbuda has revealed a divergent landscape for grocery prices across the nation in July 2026, with sharp declines in key categories like fresh produce and seafood offset by noticeable price hikes for other staple goods. Against a backdrop of a climbing national overall inflation rate that recently hit 4.4%, the mixed price shifts have created an uneven financial picture for local consumers.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the food sector as a whole has trended downward over the 12-month period ending in July 2026. The most dramatic annual drop was recorded in fruit prices, which plummeted 13.8% year-over-year, while meat and meat products followed with a 5% annual decline. These double-digit and mid-single-digit reductions pulled the aggregate food index down by 0.8% compared to July 2025.
Even with this overall annual downward trend, price shifts have varied dramatically across different food segments. Two categories bucked the declining trend over the 12-month period: oils and fats saw a 7.7% price increase, and not elsewhere classified food products recorded a 2.3% uptick.
On a monthly basis, the downward trajectory for most food prices held steady in July. The aggregate food index dropped 1.4% between June and July 2026, with seafood posting the largest monthly decline of any major category. The overall fish and seafood index fell 5.8% month-over-month, and the subcategory covering fresh, chilled, or frozen fish and seafood experienced a staggering 32.6% price plunge in July alone. Beyond seafood, fruit prices dipped an additional 4% from June to July, while vegetable prices fell 2.1% over the same period.
However, price cuts were not universal for consumers navigating local supermarkets. The milk, cheese, and eggs index jumped 4.7% in July, a rise driven almost entirely by increased costs for preserved and specialty milk products. Sugar, jams, honey, chocolate, and confectionery items saw a 3.6% monthly price increase, and even meat and meat products – which remain 5% cheaper than one year prior – posted a 1.3% uptick between June and July.
When including non-alcoholic beverages in the calculation, the broader food and non-alcoholic beverages index fell 1% month-over-month in July and sits 0.4% lower than it did 12 months earlier. This decline in food and beverage costs stands in stark contrast to Antigua and Barbuda’s overall inflation rate, which has climbed to 4.4% as of July 2026, driven by price increases in other sectors of the national economy.