I know very few people who got a 45%-100% pay raise. Yet that's how much actual food prices, in actual grocery stores, went up over that time period.
Now, I don't know where those ivory-tower economists in government an academia shop, but it ain't anywhere around here.
Still mad about prices? I never was. There's absolutely no point in getting mad about things you can't control. Prepare the best you can ahead of time, and deal with it when it happens. But that doesn't mean I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.
That is why I prefer the statistics to the anecdotes. I know lots of people who got a 45%-100% pay raise. I live in VA and the minimum wage is up 65% since 2019 so that is reflective of what has been happening here.
Me - 41% increase
Daughter 1 - 66% increase
Daughter 2 - 100% increase
Son in law - 80% increase plus benefits
People that I trained a work - Left for 30-40% raises in 2021
Etc.
Social Security is compounded plus 29.7%
I currently spend $679 per month on groceries and it is not anywhere near a 100% increase since 2019. I can buy:
Chicken drumsticks - $1.19 vs. .99 in the past - 20%
Average Chicken Price - $1.99 vs. $1.50 in 2019 - 33%
Chicken at Costco - $4.99 vs. $4.99 - 0%
Dry Pasta - $.99 per pound - probably cheaper than 2019
Hamburger - $1.99 to $3.99 so that is 100% - have to shop on sale now
Apples - $1.99 per pound vs. $1.99 - 0% - currently $.99 per pound in season
etc.
On average national salaries have kept pace with national grocery spending for the same basket of goods. That is not meant to diminish the people who have not kept pace, but I believe it is important to understand what is actually happening when evaluating policy or predicting what the Fed is going to do.