Inflation: Which foods have become particularly expensive

In July, consumers had to pay more than twice as much for a bottle of olive oil as they did four years ago. “The most important reason is the collapse in production in the most important producing country, Spain, in the 2022/23 financial year,” says Thomas Els, head of consumer research at the Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI). There has been only a slight recovery in the current harvest season. The reason is poor harvests due to Droughts.

Sugar is also significantly more expensive than in 2020. The price development is Supply concerns on the global sugar market It has also affected prices in Germany, says Els. “Prices reached record levels in 2022, and the upward trend continued in 2023. Another reason is the lower sugar content in sugar beets due to the wet weather, says food expert Jana Fischer from the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center.

Because of Rising prices for raw materials Like sugar, flour and fats, biscuits have become considerably more expensive. “The wheat harvest was lower both last year and this year due to wet weather in Germany,” says Fischer. The price of wheat flour was therefore significantly higher (+61.5 percent) in July 2024 than four years previously. Another reason for the increase was the War in UkraineRussia and Ukraine are among the most important grain exporters in the world. The developments also have an impact on the prices of crispbread and rusks (+66.4).

The prices for dairy products such as quark have risen significantly. Smaller amounts of milk than in previous years and a low fat content in raw milk Led to rising producer prices in 2021/2022, then it fell again. Since the beginning of 2024, there has been another increase. Quark was more than 70 percent more expensive in July 2024 than four years previously. There were also price jumps for condensed milk (+61.5 percent), cream (+48.7), semi-hard cheese (+45.8) and butter (+39.4). Why has quark increased the most? The production is the most complexsays the spokesman for the Federal Association of German Dairy Farmers, Hans Foldenauer.

Consumers also have to pay significantly more for tomato and spice ketchup. According to the food association Kulinaria, this is mainly due to Sharply increased costs for important ingredients such as tomato paste, vinegar and starch, but also energy and packaging.

Canned goods containing asparagus or mixed vegetables (+64.5 percent), peas (+62.5) and sauerkraut (+60.9) were also affected by price increases. “2022 was a Particularly bad harvest year “For vegetables,” says Christoph Freitag, managing director of the Federal Association of the Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processing Industry. The harvest in 2023 was not much better. The material also contributed to the price increases. high demand for canned goods during the pandemic Has driven up the prices for tinplate. Another factor is Costs for personnel, energy and logistics increasedso Friday.

Other oils are also at the top of the list of the biggest price increases. Starting from a low level in 2020, wholesale prices for rapeseed and sunflower oil refined have already risen sharply in 2021, says expert Els. As a result of the Russian attacks on Ukraine Prices will then explode. Before the war, Ukraine was the world's largest exporter, with a large proportion of its imports coming from the EU. Accordingly, in spring 2022, sunflower oil was hardly available in supermarkets for weeks, and the shelves were empty. Recently, consumer prices for oil have fallen again.