Food prices make biggest jump in 18 years

Food went up 0/9 percent in April. Oh, how could energy prices be flat for the month?

Here’s how:

Since gasoline prices normally rise in April, the 5.6 percent increase in gasoline prices for the month was turned into a 2 percent drop after the government adjusted for normal seasonal variations — little comfort to people now paying pump prices that hit a new national record of $3.758 per gallon on Thursday, up nearly 40 cents in the past month.

Beyond the major jiggering with economic figures that Kevin Phillips has documented, this is more “normal” jiggering.