I am indeed referring to total monthly food expenses, and also individual prices for things I track the unit cost of, like meat, dairy, and produce.

To break it down further, best unit prices from 2006 to present:

Lean ground beef: $3/lb -> $4/lb

Chicken breast: $26/4kg -> $26/4kg

Pork tenderloins: $2/lb -> $2/lb

Milk: $4/gal -> $4.50/gal

Apples: $0.69/lb -> $0.99/lb

Green Peppers: $0.99/lb -> $1.49/lb

I'll stop there but you get the idea. I've noticed pasta boxes shrinking from 500g to 454g at some point in the last 10 years, as did bacon going from 454g to 375g. But those are fairly isolated changes and bacon prices have also tripled in that time period for some reason.

Where are you in that mixes lb and kg like that?

I've never seen a 500g box of pasta in my entire life.

I've can't remember when apples were cheap, even the cheapest varieties.

Milk is priced by subsidied and loss leaders, so it isn't practical for tracking inflation.

I understand that, but if a container of food shrinks by an ounce or two over time most won't buy an entire extra one to make up the difference.

If you could buy all food by weight this would be easier to notice and make an apples to apples comparison. Hat's off to the parent comment if they even tracked it down to the exact amount of food and kept it consistent for years.

Most people set a budget of $X dollars of food that is rather generous and if they get slightly less food they don't notice because they are already buying an excess of calories most of the time.

As I mentioned in the sister comment I do indeed track unit prices for things like meat, dairy, and produce.

My total monthly expenses have increased by roughly 50-100% since 2006, but that's also because I now earn more, buy more expensive things like steak and good cheese, and am more physically active so eat larger quantities.

I actually think that I overstated food price increase marginally. Many things I buy are the same price they were 15 years ago.

I admire the thoroughness of your data collection. I don't doubt your numbers at all.

If anything the only huge inflation I ever see is not in consumer goods, but in appreciating assets.

Are you seriously suggesting that food prices have increased more and people are just generally eating less calories?

Allow me clarify, I think people in general consume more calories than they did in the past. They are just 'wasting' less food.

Most people when buying food budget money, not calories. So if food producers shave off a few ounces over time you won't notice because you already buy a surplus of food to begin with. The surplus just shrinks ever so slightly on the consumers end. That unused 2 ounces at the bottom of the mayo jar is now 1. That pack of fruit snacks has 1 less in the pouch, etc.

It usually takes a dramatic sudden change for most consumers to notice "shrinkflation".

I have noticed that when somebody says "so you are saying/suggesting X," X was never actually said/suggested. A frustrating thing to encounter in a discussion. Sorry if I was unclear.