Food and energy are excluded from core CPI numbers. They also use a "substitution" method whereby an estimate of how many families have stopped buying beef because prices have risen too much and started eating more chicken instead. These types of adjustments are common and can make the data say anything they wish. There are many more "fudge factors" built into theses numbers.
Check here for more details :
http://www.gillespieresearch.com/cgi-bin/s/article/id=300
We've quit buying tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and bell peppers altogether. Thank God beer hasn't gone up.
Well, actually, me and my wife quit eating beef and eating more turkey, fish and chicken because it is less fat, and more healthy for you. I don't even miss beef.