30% rise in prices for essential goods

Consumers of staples in supermarkets have faced price increases of as much as 30% since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.

In fact, the rise in prices is not limited to products directly related to the import of raw materials from Russia and Ukraine, such as flour and sunflower oil, but refers to a number of goods that have suffered from a sharp rise in production costs – milk and dairy products in general. Mr. Aristotelis Panteliadis, head of METRO AEBE, said: “We have not yet reached the ceiling in price increases, which means that we all have a very unhappy future ahead.”

The upward trend in food prices, which in Greece lags other European countries, as well as the jump in fuel prices to unimaginable heights, are expected to keep inflation at very high levels in May and June.

Eurostat will present its assessment of the harmonized consumer price index for essential goods next Tuesday.

Indicative of the current situation is that in the “basket”, consisting of 25 foodstuffs, personal hygiene and household items, price reduction today, compared to March 1, it is observed only for four goods, reports cathimerini.gr.

From fruits – only apples have fallen in price. For two products, the average retail price remained at the same level, and for all the rest, according to Παρατηρητηρίου Τιμών, prices increased from 1.18% for rice to 29.5% for toilet paper (pack of 12 pieces). It is clarified that the data refer to branded products with a leading market share in their category.

The most worrying thing is the rise in prices for products such as fresh milk, as it is the basis of the daily diet and is very often bought by some households.

The average price for a pack of 1 liter of milk from 1.38 euros at the beginning of March is now 1.48 euros, an increase of 7.24%. The price of flour, one of the products for which very high prices were fixed from the first moment, rose by about 26.5% during these three months. Thus, a package of one kilogram of flour is sold for an average of 1.62 euros (1.28 euros on March 1). Its price even reaches 1.85 euros, and not in regional stores, but in leading chains.

Spaghetti prices are up about 24%, with the most popular package, the half-kilogram No. 6, selling for an average of €1.04, up from €0.84 on 1 March. The price of sunflower oil, which is imported mainly from Ukraine, rose by 8% to 3.91 euros (liter package). The upward trend continues in the prices of feta cheese, which has increased by 7.85% over the past three months, as well as yogurt (6.55%). Dairy and cheese prices are expected to rise further as animal feed prices rise and production declines. Mass slaughter begins in Greecesince it is no longer profitable for livestock breeders to engage in this labor-intensive business.

It was also noted that price increases were recorded for chemicals, packaging materials, detergents and cleaning products, etc.

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