SALT LAKE CITY — Big sales on such staples as milk, bread, cereal, laundry detergent and disposable diapers were the driving force behind a reduction in the local cost of living compared to last month, and also to 2009 prices on those items.
Certain items, such as hamburger and orange juice, rose in price from July to August of this year, and the cost of gas also has risen.
But a Deseret News survey of 12 grocery store brand-name products, as well as the cost of a night at the movies and a large pepperoni pizza, showed reductions.
The newspaper each month gathers the costs of the same grocery store items, as well as gas prices; movie ticket costs, along with the price of a medium popcorn and soft drink; and a large takeout pepperoni pizza.
These are compared to the previous month's average prices found in the paper's imaginary "grocery cart," as well as a baseline of average costs for identical items in 2009.
Each of the five stores always displays a wide range of prices, and each always has sales and loss leaders that differ from one month to the next. No one store has all of the low-cost bargains or all of the highest prices in each category.
Overall, the first week of August 2010 showed the cost of a gallon of Meadow Gold 2 percent milk dropped from an average price of $2.83 last month to $2.49 this month. A loaf of Home Pride bread went down from $2.62 in July to an average to $2.15 per loaf in August.
The biggest savings were found on disposable diapers, with a 96-count box of Pampers size 3 Baby Dry Diapers ringing the cash register with an average tab of $18.44, a drop from the average cost of $20.64 last month.
A 141-ounce box of Tide powder laundry detergent also decreased from last month's $14.26 to $13.08.
Gas, however, went up from $2.82 per gallon in July to $2.89.
Back-to-school shopping is bringing more customers into stores of all kinds, but there seems to be little explanation as to why certain grocery products would cost less at this time of year.
Take milk, a staple in just about every household. In July, there was a 2.4 percent increase in the retail sales of milk compared to the previous July in Salt Lake City, even though prices were 13 percent higher, according to statistics from the Utah Dairy Commission.
"Basically, it meant more milk sold for higher prices last month," said Larry Lewis, spokesman for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
Why retail prices are lower this month is a mystery, however. "The milk industry is a very complicated formula to understand, and trying to simplify it is very difficult, unless you're in the midst of it," Lewis said.
One thing Lewis is sure of is that dairy farmers are struggling financially to keep up their production.
"Their equipment and hay and feed costs are escalating, and the prices they are getting for their product are holding steady or declining," Lewis said.
That is troubling for the state's dairy industry, and Lewis said in the long run it could prove troublesome for everyone.
"Keeping land and farms viable and productive is important for all Utahns, not just the dairy owner," Lewis said.
"There's value in the form of business taxes for the community, employment, the aesthetics, keeping rural Utah strong and contributing to the state's economy," he said. "It's part of our heritage."
Keeping local dairies in business also means Utahns have a source of wholesome, fresh food in their own community that does not have to be transported far, which is better for consumer and the environment, Lewis said.
"There has been a decline in the number of family dairies in Utah. Our department is concerned and has been working on ways to reverse that and keep them in business. One is to help marketing efforts to encourage people to drink more milk," he said.
The department also launched its "Agri-Advocates" program this week. Anyone who is interested can go to www.agriadvocates.org and learn about issues relating to farmland protection and how to support local agriculture.
The effort will be showcased at the Aug. 14 Farmer's Market in Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
e-mail: lindat@desnews.com