2023-12-24 06:02:40
The shopping basket has no ceiling in its prices and its increase in price is around 30% in the last two years. Filling the refrigerator is a challenge for most households, and an ordeal for those who cannot make ends meet, which is becoming more and more common. Despite the reduction in VAT on some products and the Government’s messages trying to downplay the issue, the price of food hardly gives any respite and continues to skyrocket, suffocating domestic economies, especially at these times of household expenses.
The food CPI from just two years ago – November 2021 – was 3.3%, to press the accelerator until March 2022, when it reached the peak of 16.5%. Last month it closed with 9.9% last month, which has caused this accumulated rise above 30%. Rise upon rise, despite the moderation experienced since the summer.
But what does this mean in hard cash? Well, families have had to face an average extra cost of more than 1,500 euros in the shopping basket since the winter of 2021, according to calculations by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU).
Despite the minimal relief in inflationary pressure – the general CPI moderated to 3.2% after having remained anchored at 3.5% for the last two months – thanks to the prices of fuel, tourist packages and Food products moderated their growth by half a point compared to twelve months ago.
But this provisional parenthesis in the momentum of prices is basically statistical in the case of food, since of the 199 basic products analyzed in the monthly CPI by the INE, 169 have increased their prices in an interannual rate and only 26 have lowered them. . That is, 85% of the products are more expensive than a year ago.
Olive oil continues to be the product that has increased its price the most and has become almost a luxury product, with an increase of 66.7% compared to November 2022, and a hit to the pocket of 4.7% in the last 30 days. If you look back a little further, as of February 2021, the blow has been 164%, something that has already begun to be noticed in the fall in consumption of this product, which has fallen by 22%. The rest of the oils have also increased their prices, 44.5% compared to November 2022.
Many other products in the shopping basket grew by double digits this year: rice (17.1%); legumes and vegetables (16.8%); confectionery products (16.6%); pork (12.9%); other food preparations (10.2%); fresh fruits (10.1%) and sheep meat (10%). Just a few tenths below the 10% limit are products highly demanded by families, such as mineral water, soft drinks and juices (9.8%); legume and vegetable preparations (9%); coffee infusions (8.1%); sugar (7.5%); eggs (7.1%) or cereals (6.9%).
In the case of households that opt for an ecological shopping basket, the situation is even worse, since in their case it is 62% more expensive. The extra cost varies depending on the type of product, but all of them exceed double digits and some exceed three. Thus, seasonal vegetables reach a 110% increase in price; potatoes, 83%; eggs, 80%; or seasonal fruits, 76%. Other products have increased to a lesser extent. Fish with the MSC seal became 10% more expensive; pork and beef, 22%; olive oil, 31%; bread, rice or pasta up to 36%. For the rest of the healthy diet purchases, the differences vary between 40% and 60% in the case of cereals, nuts and dairy products.
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