2023-10-16 21:32:13
According to the survey carried out by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), consumers are reducing their purchases of fish, meat, olive oil, fruits and vegetables after the large increase in food prices. Other foods have also seen their sales reduced, either to a greater or lesser extent, as is the case of dairy products.
To try to counteract the effects of inflation on basic foods, the organization recommends looking for products on sale, in season and frozen, which are cheaper and also maintain the same quality as fresh products.
And food inflation has not managed to drop below 10% since March 2022. In September, food prices rose 10.5% compared to the same month in 2022 and 24.3% compared to two years ago , making the shopping basket significantly more expensive. In an interannual rate (September 2023 compared to the same month in 2022), the foods that have increased the most in price are olive oil (+67%, the largest increase in 21 years); sugar (+40.5%); potatoes (+20.5%); rice (+18.5%) and confectionery products (+18.2%). Olive oil has become more expensive by 10.1% in September of this year compared to the month of August and its price has multiplied by more than two since March 2021, with an increase of 136.6%.
Many other foods registered year-on-year increases in their prices, such as fruit and vegetable juices (+16.5%); jams and jams (+15.5%), pork (+14.4%); breakfast cereals (+14.1%); other meats (+13.5%); whole milk (+13%); fresh legumes and vegetables (+11.7%); eggs (11.5%); skimmed milk (+11.3%) and dried fish and seafood and butter, both with increases of 11.1%.
This situation has caused consumers to reduce their purchases of foods that have become more expensive. For this reason, the OCU has warned of the danger of replacing part of these foods with processed products, which can be said to be cheaper, but not at all healthy.
Fish, meat and olive oil stand out as the foods most penalized by consumers as a result of accumulated inflation. Specifically, the purchase of fish has decreased to a greater or lesser extent for 60% of those surveyed, followed by meat (54%) and olive oil (53%). And not only that. 50% and 45% of those surveyed acknowledge that they have had to more or less reduce the purchase of fresh fruit and vegetables, while 30% acknowledge that they have limited the purchase of dairy products.
Likewise, in order to reduce costs when filling the shopping basket, there is a diversion of consumption towards other foods. This is recognized by 21% of those surveyed. Given this option, the OCU recommends consumers look for cheaper varieties and seasonal products. It also encourages buying frozen foods, taking into account that frozen vegetables are 44% cheaper than fresh ones, and looking for white brands and products that are on sale due to their quick expiration.
On the other hand, the organization continues to insist on the Government in office to increase in an “urgent and substantial manner” both the amount of the 200 euro check intended for those families with incomes of less than 27,000 euros, and the number of beneficiaries, increasing in turn the income limits.
In addition, it considers that meat and fish should be included among the foods where 0% VAT is applied, so as to facilitate the acquisition of quality animal protein. Likewise, with the aim of finding solutions that help reduce the prices of basic products, it calls for a “combined effort” to be made by the entire food chain.
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