On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.1% from June after a surprise 0.4% drop. Broader energy prices declined 1.5%. Prices for food away from home, a category that includes restaurant meals and fast food, rose 0.3% month over month. Most food prices are volatile, but health officials are investigating a 15-state outbreak of cyclospora infections linked to iceberg lettuce. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was up 2.5% from a year ago, and 0.2% from June.