I’ve been watching holiday food prices and trends for a long time. But this year’s numbers tell a very different story.

PwC puts the average family dinner at about $90, up just $2 from last year. Lidl has a meal for 10 at $35.86, and Aldi is under $39. ???? But look closely at that Aldi bundle. Six items are gone from last year’s list, including the mac and cheese and the green bean casserole fixings. I call it bundle shrinkflation, and shoppers WILL read the list.

READ The Lempert report on Substack.