Rising prices of non-perishables may not allow food inflation to cool soon

Inflation being driven by cereals, spices, milk, prepared meals and snacks

Retail food inflation might have cooled down to a one-year low of 4.19 per cent in December 2022 from 4.67 per cent in November, but worries around it remain.

The concern comes from non-perishable food items – those outside of the fruits and vegetables category (the perishables). Perishables, meanwhile, continued to register a decline in prices for the second month in a row in December.

Deflation in perishable food items, in fact, rose to 10.3 per cent in December, up from 5.1 per cent in November.

On the other hand, non-perishable food items witnessed inflation at a