The price of the food basket monitored by DECO PROteste reached one of the highest values in the last week of October, with the cost rising by more than seven euros in the first ten months of this year.
“In the first ten months of this year, the price of the food basket increased by 7.51 euros (more than 3.18%), now costing 243.68 euros. This is also one of the highest prices for this basket of essential goods since DECO PROteste began this monitoring in January 2022,” a statement from the consumer protection organization reads.
About four years ago, it was possible to purchase exactly the same food items for 55.98 euros less (29.82% less).
Which products increased the most?
In the last week, between October 22 and 29, the products whose prices increased the most percentage-wise were horse mackerel (up 11%), fish sticks (up 10%), and tuna steaks in olive oil (up 8%).
“If we compare this week’s prices with those from the first week of the year, January 1, 2025, the largest percentage price increase was seen in products like eggs (up 32%), broccoli (up 28%), and oranges (up 25%).”
On the other hand, “since DECO PROteste began this analysis on January 5, 2022, the most significant percentage increases were in beef for boiling (up 106%), eggs (up 86%), and oranges (up 72%).”
DECO PROteste has been tracking the evolution of essential food prices since January 2022, analyzing the total cost of a basket every Wednesday based on prices collected the previous day in major supermarkets with online stores.
“The average price per product is calculated in all available online stores on the simulator. Then, by adding up the average price of all products, the cost of the basket is obtained for a particular day,” as noted on the organization’s website.
Government estimates inflation to be 2.4% this year and 2.1% next year
The Government estimates that inflation, measured by the harmonized index of prices, will be 2.4% this year and 2.1% next, according to the State Budget proposal for 2026 (OE2026) submitted to Parliament today.
The rate of change of the Harmonized Consumer Price Index (HCPI), used to allow comparisons with other European countries, was 2.7% in 2024, so these estimates represent a slowdown.
The variation in prices should thus approach the European Central Bank’s (ECB) target of 2% inflation.
