Alex Trelinski
CHRISTMAS food shopping in Spain has been an eye-opener this year with customers having to dig deep into their pockets to buy their traditional favourites.
Basic staples such as sugar, oil, milk and butter have lead the rises.
On average, going to the supermarket is 15% more expensive than a year ago but there are far bigger hikes in essential seasonal products since November 2021.
Nougat and marzipan prices have skyrocketed due to the increase in the price of sugar- up by 50.2% in the last year.
Cooking oil has risen by 55.5%; flour(37%); butter(37%); milk(30%); and eggs(27%).
The vegetable aisle has seen potatoes rise by 21% and there’s no respite by going for frozen veg with an average price hike of 27% in the last year.
Meat prices are up 13% but the price of traditional chorizo sausages is up by a more modest 8%.
Seafood prices have seen dramatic rises in just the last two months.
A kilo of crab was worth €17.80 in mid-October, rising to €19.80 in mid-November, and has now reached €36.95- well over double the price paid eight weeks ago.
Galician hake has risen from €9.80 per kilo to €12.99.
Fruit is another popular Christmas staple and has not been immune either from price increases.
Pineapples came in at €1.99 per kilo a few weeks ago but have risen 23% to €2.45 per kilo.
There’s also been a recent price hike in grapes where in late November you could buy a kilo for €3.25 but they’ve gone up to €4 mark.
If you fancy the seedless variety, you are talking around €6 per kilo.
At least festive tipples have only seen relatively minor rises with wine only marginally up but beer has gone up on average by 10%.
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