The price of several essential foods registered a new increase in cost in the last week, with emphasis on extra virgin olive oil, which once again exceeded seven euros per bottle, and whole grain cereals. Between October 15th and 22nd, Portuguese consumers experienced significant increases in basic products, according to weekly price monitoring released by DECO PROteste, a Portuguese consumer protection association.
Price rise
According to Notícias ao Minuto, the foods that increased the most in percentage terms were whole grain cereals, whose price increased by 15 percent, sliced Flemish cheese, with an increase of 13 percent, and horse mackerel, which increased by 9 percent.
Extra virgin olive oil rose eight percent in just seven days, going from 6.65 to 7.17 euros for a 75-centiliter bottle, according to data from DECO PROteste. This value represents the first time that the price has surpassed seven euros again after twelve consecutive weeks below this level.
According to the same source, at the beginning of the year, extra virgin olive oil cost 9.52 euros, but since April it has almost always remained below seven euros.
The record was registered in April 2024, when a bottle cost 12 euros, the highest price since DECO PROteste began monitoring 63 food items in January 2022.
Food basket with discreet increase
In addition to individual products, the cost of the food basket, which includes essential goods, also increased. In the last week, the average price rose by 48 cents, equivalent to 0.20 percent, now standing at 242.24 euros.
DECO PROteste highlights that at the beginning of the year the same basket cost 6.07 euros less, and that in January 2022 it could be purchased for 54.54 euros less, a difference of almost 30 percent.
The association monitors the evolution of prices in supermarkets with an online store on a weekly basis, calculating the average price per product and adding the values to determine the total cost of the basket.
Compared to the beginning of the year, the foods that rose the most include broccoli, with an increase of 34 percent, eggs, which rose by 32 percent, and oranges, with an increase of 24 percent.
Since monitoring began, in January 2022, the biggest percentage increases were recorded in beef for cooking, which doubled in price, in eggs, which rose by 86 percent, and in oranges, with an increase in value of 71 percent, according to the same source.
As mentioned by , the evolution of food prices continues to worry consumers and experts. DECO PROteste maintains weekly monitoring to monitor trends and anticipate impacts on the family budget, offering a detailed snapshot of inflation in the food sector
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