Thefts in supermarkets have been gaining new dynamics and Portugal is no exception to this global movement. Identification of the most stolen products in each country allows us to understand different patterns and, in the Portuguese case, reveals that the main target in grocery stores is canned fish. According to the Zap news portal, this trend is part of an international analysis that brings together information collected by the Global Statistics portal from data from various publications.
According to the same source, Spain stands out at the beginning of the survey, with olive oil leading the way in grocery store thefts. The publication adds that olive oil also appears as the most stolen product in Morocco, forming a common pattern in the two countries closest to Portugal.
In turn, Andorra and France present another protagonist: cheese. In Italy, the emphasis remains on the same product, although with additional specificity, as parmesan dominates the records. The portal writes that the Netherlands, Sweden and San Marino follow the same trend, making cheese one of the most recurring items on this list.
Theft by regions and unexpected preferences
Central Europe confirms old expectations, with chocolates leading in Germany and Belgium. In Switzerland, thefts mainly concern luxury chocolates, the website explaining that this category stands out in the Alpine country.
Further east, the information gathered by the publication shows that the targets change: in Ukraine cigarettes predominate, as in Israel, while in Russia and Poland it is alcoholic beverages that record the most thefts. It is a pattern that reflects different local and social dynamics.
Portugal and the unlikely group that shares the same product
The survey indicates that, in Portugal, the most stolen product is canned fish, including sardines, tuna and salmon. This pattern is shared with countries as far away as Indonesia, Belize, Cape Verde, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Samoa.
The publication adds that meat dominates thefts in countries such as Austria, Argentina, the USA and Venezuela, while in the United Kingdom packaged meat stands out. In Australia and China, the most stolen product is milk and, in India, spices appear at the top of the list.
Will supermarkets in Portugal reinforce security?
For now, there are no additional security measures for supermarkets in Portugal to apply in light of the results of this study.
However, more and more hypermarkets have installed security systems at the exit of autonomous payment boxes, which only allow the customer to leave the establishment after passing the receipt’s barcode through a reader.
Other global standards and the absolute leader
Cosmetics is the most stolen category in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Iran. Among Portuguese-speaking countries, meat is the most stolen product in Brazil, cooking oil appears in Angola and rice leads in Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste. In São Tomé and Príncipe the emphasis is on fish, while Cape Verde follows Portugal with a focus on canned fish.
According to the portal, the product that brings together the largest number of countries is rice, emerging as the most stolen in 37 nations.
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