Supermarket prices up 18.5% in less than a year

Netherlands residents paid an average of 18.5 percent more for their groceries in supermarkets last month than in September 2021, NOS reports based on a study by market researcher GfK. Pasta, bread, and kitchen towels became much more expensive, while the prices for bananas, chocolates, and cleaning products increased only slightly, if at all.

For a family of four, a visit to the supermarket is much more expensive than eleven months ago. “On average, they spend about 7,000 to 8,000 euros on groceries per year,” said Norman Buysse of GfK. “They quickly pay about 1,500 euros more for the same groceries than a year ago.”

Between September 2021 and the end of July 2022, GfK monitored the prices of 55 essential products at nine supermarket chains. This includes products that most people regularly buy, like minced meat, coffee, and biscuits. The agency then calculates an average price for this shopping basket every four weeks. “Nobody buys exactly that basket, but it gives a good picture of what the prices are doing in the supermarket,” Buysse said.

He expects the price increases to continue for a while yet. “At least until the autumn and perhaps the winter. Because the factors that influence the price increases, like the war in Ukraine, grain shortages, and labor shortages, will remain for a while.”