Food inflation remained above 20 per cent in 11 states in April 2026, even as national food inflation surpassed headline inflation for the first time in eight months, signaling renewed pressure on household purchasing power across the country.
Data from the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food inflation rose to 16.06 per cent in April 2026, slightly higher than the headline inflation rate of 15.69 per cent recorded in the same month.
The development marked the first time food inflation exceeded all-item inflation since August 2025, when food inflation stood at 25.30 per cent compared to headline inflation of 23.14 per cent.
Between September 2025 and March 2026, headline inflation consistently remained higher than food inflation, reflecting broader price pressures beyond food items, including transport, accommodation, energy, and services.
In September 2025, food inflation stood at 20.16 per cent against headline inflation of 20.98 per cent. The gap widened further in January 2026 when food inflation slowed sharply to 8.89 per cent while headline inflation remained elevated at 15.10 per cent.
Food inflation later rebounded steadily from 10.84 per cent in December 2025 to 12.12 per cent in February 2026 and 14.31 per cent in March 2026 before overtaking headline inflation again in April 2026.