Food prices, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), increased 2.4 percent in 1994. This increase was less than the overall increase in the CPI for the fourth consecutive year. Higher charges for processing and distribution mainly accounted for the 1994 increase. The prices farmers received for commodities, as measured by the farm value of USDA's market basket of foods, fell 3.7 percent. The farm value share of the food dollar spent in grocery stores in 1994 was 24 percent, a decline of 2 percent from 1993. The farm-to-retail price spread of USDA's market basket of foods rose 4.5 percent, partly reflecting higher prices of inputs, such as labor.