Supermarkets starting to cut prices; Some products cheaper than last year

After months of increases, the prices in supermarkets are finally starting to fall. Cucumbers, strawberries, eggplants, and melons are now even cheaper than they were a year ago, NOS reports based on an analysis by data agency Hiiper.

According to Joep Smeets, there are various factors behind the price decreases of daily groceries. The good weather this spring led to excellent crops, for example. Cucumber prices are dropping due to overproduction, growers told NOS. And eggs are getting cheaper because bird flu restrictions are lifting. “There is now also more room for [dropping prices] because energy prices are falling,” Smeets said to the broadcaster.

Dairy prices are also falling more and more. At the start of this year, butter was still 25 percent more expensive than in March 2022. The current price is only slightly above that of June 2022. Milk was 25 percent more expensive early this year. Now it’s 17 percent pricier. And due to that, the price of cheese is also falling. Egg prices are still 19 percent above June 2022, but in the first quarter, it was 30 percent.

Previous studies have shown that consumers increasingly opted for cheaper brands during the past year of high inflation. Hiiper’s analysis confirmed that. “We also see more and more customers going to discounters. People are clearly opting for affordability over luxury and service departments,” Smeets said.

Last month, inflation in the Netherlands was 5.7 percent, according to Statistics Netherlands. Food prices were still 13 percent higher than a year ago.