Test purchase: “Shopping cart has become 29 percent more expensive in two years”

Testaankoop has been monitoring the prices of 3,000 products in seven supermarket chains for more than two years. In December, it was 8.1 percent higher than the previous year. This relates to a further decline in inflation after 9.4% in November and its peak of 20% in March.

The outliers are vegetables, which became 20 percent more expensive in one year. For example, the cost of onions rose by 46 percent, carrots by 28 percent, cauliflower by 22 percent, and potatoes by 21 percent. After vegetables, the prices of pet food (+16%) and frozen products (+10%) rose, according to Testankop. Meat (+3%), alcoholic beverages (+4%) and bread (+5%) recorded the lowest inflation rates.

Testankop confirms that in December 2022, “supermarket inflation” had already reached 19.7 percent, causing prices to rise by 29 percent in two years. “Vegetables increased by more than 40 percent, while bread, an essential product par excellence, increased by more than 20 percent,” spokeswoman Laura Claeys said.

According to Testankop, consumers are still not benefiting enough from lower prices for raw materials. “Take vegetable oils for example: their price on international markets has fallen since March 2022 (-51 percent). However, the frying oils tracked by Testancoup are 37 percent more expensive than they were in March 2022,” she said. The consumer organization also notes such a difference, for example, with semi-skimmed milk and Gouda.