High food costs have been one particularly harsh result. Food away from home, by California CPI averages, jumped 23 percent in four years. Ponder these budget-busting prices for California food niches tracked by the local CPIs — and why these expenses mushroomed. Those financially overwhelmed by food costs will need more than comforting words from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. Yes, by December 2023, grocery inflation might have felt a bit tamed.
