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Price of a PB&J Takes Sharp Rise

As fans brown bag it for National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, it turns out the childhood staple isn't the bargain it used to be.
Image: Peanut butter and jelly
It's an American lunch-box staple and it's getting more expensive.Wendy Maeda / Boston Globe via Getty Images
/ Source: CNBC.com

As fans brown bag it Wednesday in honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, it turns out the childhood staple isn't quite the bargain it used to be.

Prices of two of the main ingredients have jumped during the last decade.

The rising price of creamy peanut butter.
The rising price of creamy peanut butter.Katie Little / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Since 2004, prices of creamy peanut butter and a pound of white bread are up nearly 46 and 47 percent, respectively, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By comparison. the Consumer Price Index for food at home rose 28 percent and all items went up 26 percent during the period.

White bread prices have risen too.
White bread prices have risen too.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

This means that relative to the other items in kitchen pantries, two of the items needed for a PB&J have gotten pricier.

Though the increases amount to less than a $1 per PB&J sandwich, they add up quickly since kids end up consuming a staggering number of them. The National Peanut Board says the average child will chow down on 1,500 of them before graduating from high school.