The chart depicts fluctuations in the inflation benchmark in several food categories, specifically in fresh fruits, vegetables, sugar, sweets, and fizzy drinks, over the 31-year period from 1978 to 2009.
Overall
, Linking Words
although
all items became more expensive over time, fruits and vegetables experienced a markedly sharper escalation, Linking Words
whereas
soft drinks underwent the least pronounced increase.
At the outset, each classification started at just below a 60-point benchmark. Over the 1980s, fruit production rose briskly, eclipsing the CPI by the end of the decade. After that, Linking Words
this
upward momentum intensified after 2000, quintupling and reaching a peak in 2008 with nearly 340, before recording a marginal retreat.
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Furthermore
, a mirrored pattern to CPI was noticed in sugar and sweets, which consistently remained slightly below it over the 31-year span, ultimately reaching immediately under the 160 mark. Meanwhile, carbonated drinks incessantly lagged behind both the cost-of-living benchmark and other food groups, registering a modest growth to approximately 110 by 2009.Linking Words