Consumer food prices up 1.4% since last year - CSO
Consumer food prices have gone up by 1.4% in the last 12 months, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The past month saw a 0.1% increase in consumer food prices.
The figures come as the CSO today (May 29) released flash estimates of inflation from the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for Ireland for May 2026.
Anthony Dawson, statistician in the CSO prices division, said: “The latest flash estimate of the HICP compiled by the CSO indicates that prices for consumer goods and services in Ireland are estimated to have gone up by 3.5% in the past year.
“Looking at the components of the flash HICP in Ireland for May 2026, energy prices are estimated to have decreased by 4.3% in the month and gone up by 11.9% since May 2025.
“The HICP, excluding energy and unprocessed food prices, is estimated to have gone up by 2.7% since May 2025.”
Meanwhile, service prices have increased by 0.4% in the month and have gone up by 3.7% in the 12 months to May 2026.
The corresponding rate for the Eurozone will be published on June 2, 2026.
Dawson added: “These flash estimates are subject to revision when the final HICP results are published next month.”
Changes
The CSO provided a table of the flash estimates.
| EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices Flash Estimates - Ireland - May 2026 | ||
| HICP Special Aggregate | Monthly % Change | Annual % Change |
| HICP excluding Energy and Unprocessed Food | 0.4 | 2.7 |
| Energy | -4.3 | 11.9 |
| Services | 0.4 | 3.7 |
| Non-Energy Industrial Goods | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Food excluding Alcohol and Tobacco | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Unprocessed Food | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| Processed Food | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Food including Alcohol and Tobacco | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| HICP excluding Energy | 0.4 | 2.7 |
| HICP excluding Energy, Food, Alcohol and Tobacco | 0.3 | 2.8 |
| All Items HICP | -0.1 | 3.5 |
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the official measure of inflation for Ireland and is published monthly by the CSO.
Earlier this month, the CSO's Wholesale Price Index for April 2026 showed producer prices for meat and meat products were down 2.2% compared with April 2025, while dairy products were down 0.6% in the year.
