When Food Prices Make the News, Look at the Inflation Basket.

Food prices — from potatoes to sugar and wheat — are once again at the center of public debate in Pakistan. Headlines often focus on one item at a time, but the inflation story is broader and more revealing when seen together.
The latest Monthly Inflation Dashboard from Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics shows an important pattern:

🔺 Staples are driving pressure
Essential items such as sugar, wheat, gur, milk, meat, and cooking inputs are registering double-digit or near double-digit inflation compared to the base period. These are not discretionary purchases — they define household survival.

When staple prices rise by 10%+:
Households cannot reduce consumption much
Spending is cut from education, health, transport, protein
Real living standards fall even if incomes stay the same

Time to look again on CPI . A new inflation spiral might be building.