Gov't to release new consumer price index excluding fresh food, energy

So, is there any index that includes food price rises? These seem to be a major component of monthly budget. I don't think they are just subject to volatile movements, I feel there has been a real increase in prices and/or a reduction in mass or volume for years. I have often found it hard to go along with the official narrative of deflation.

CPI everywhere is a scam pure and simple. Food and energy ARE the most basic of necessities and should be the core of CPI not left out ! Why are they left out ? So the public can be brainwashed into believing the inflation figures that are fed to them even though they are nothing more than manipulated BS using creative accounting (read Fraud)

Ozziedesigner makes a good point.Large portions of the cost of living should not be excluded. What about a moving-average system to moderate some of the short-term volatility in figures?

"So, is there any index that includes food price rises?"

Yes it's, um, called the CPI.

"Why are they left out ?"

Don't worry. There's no conspiracy theory. The core index is supposed to measure general price trends that are unaffected by abrupt events, like the weather. This is not to hoodwink the public but so companies and governments can use the data to form policy that has medium to long range effects.

Ah, I get it. I thought "the core CPI that excludes fresh food prices" was a description of Consumer price index (CPI), not an alternative measure. Silly me. But I still can't quite believe that the rising costs of my shopping basket are down to advancing gluttony or epicurean proclivities.

Pensions are being cut because the CPI is showing deflation but, as noted above, that measure excludes food and energy prices, which are the main expenses for elderly people.

It is certainly a con, not so much to fool the public, but so that the government have an excuse to cut pensions even when the true cost of living for elderly people is rising.

It is certainly a con, not so much to fool the public, but so that the government have an excuse to cut pensions even when the true cost of living for elderly people is rising.

true, and it is possible for govt only because of 'shouganai' attitude of the people.

I agree with all of the above and just to and too and also agree with SOME14SOME i brought this topic up at the counter of my place with 3 locals tonight and as you said: Shouganai. What was it the Aldous Huxley said about teaching people to love there servitude that you can do almost anything to them but sit on them....

JeffLee is exactly right here, and yet you all thumbed him down.

The indices are what they are.

If there is an argument to be had, it's about whether prices going up is good or prices staying flat or mildly decreasing is good. Consumers know that the latter is good.

The problem is that Japan's policies favour protecting vested interests, and rather than let unprofitable businesses go out of business, freeing up economic resources for more profitable ventures, Japan seeks to keep unprofitable businesses ticking over and starving innovators of the resources they need to start producing valuable new things for consumers.

Food in particular would be much cheaper if Japan stopped protecting it's unproductive agricultural sector as the expense of overseas producers and domestic consumers.