Grocery prices rose by four percent; notably pet food, meat and salad cost more

Grocery prices have increased on average between three to four percent compared to last year, the AD reported. Prices for fresh meat products, salads and bread even rose by nine percent, a study by the research agency GfK showed. The cost of alcohol, pet food and cut flowers also climbed up significantly.

The GfK compared the prices of product categories, such as meat, bread, dairy, fruits and vegetables from the first quarter of 2021 with the first quarter of 2020 in supermarkets, specialty stores and drugstores.

“The price increase of many products is higher than the inflation rate of 1.9 percent”, Norman Buysse from the GfK explained. “The highest increase was noted in prices for pet food, meat products and salad. The cost of these products rose on average by nine percent."

On average the consumer also pays seven percent more for poultry and fish. At the beginning of last year, for example, a kilo of fresh meat, poultry or fish cost around 8.55 euros. Now the consumer can expect to pay around 9.11 euros for the same product.

Buysse pointed out that not everything became more expensive. “Some groceries are even cheaper, for example, care products such as deodorant and toothpaste. This is largely explained due to an increase in the amount of work performed at home. As a result, we use less deodorant and brush our teeth less often.”

The price increase is even more notable due to people spending more money on food in the grocery store since the first lockdown. “We also see that shopping online continues to grow slowly. Costs are usually charged for home delivery. This can enhance the perception of the price increase”, Buysse said.