Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Sausage prices and ice cream went down in April — good news for graduation parties, however, the Basic Food Index for American Samoa rose slightly.

Eight food items have contributed directly to the hike in food costs, which include chicken (2.4%) $19.57 for a 10kg case, turkey tail (2.0%) $2.57 lb, soda (1.8%) $1.12 for Pepsi, pork spare ribs (1.1%) $1.92 lb, milk (0.8%) $2.54 a carton, sugar (0.6%) $3.60 for 2kg, mayonnaise (0.6%) $4.98, and corned beef (0.2%) $5.81 for a can of Palm.

Six popular food commodities have experienced lower prices, including rice (-1.0%) 5 lbs for $4.95, fresh fish (-1.4%) $5.06 per lb, sausage (-1.7%) $4.25 lb, ice cream (-2.2%) 2ltrs for $9.51, and especially eggs (-4.5%) $2.31 for a small dozen.

And you can still afford your bread and butter as they are two of the items that have remained unchanged. While many food items have fluctuated in price, water 50¢ a bottle, taro $2.18 a lb, saimin 60¢ a package, Iapana tuna $2.35 a can, Pritchard bread $3.60 a long loaf, and butter $5.05, have remained unchanged this month.

The Basic Food Index is a monthly rapid assessment of basic food items, to monitor the cost and availability of these 20 food products throughout the community. The BFI is not to be confused with the Quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) published last week, which is a comprehensive standard measure of inflation and the cost of living in American Samoa.

A major upgrade to the survey coverage was implemented at the beginning of 2022, when 7 additional stores were included in the data collection process, extending coverage from Se'etaga in the West to Amouli in the East. In total, 14 major to mid-size retail stores have been selected for the monitoring of basic food costs.