For a long time the main news regarding food is that its prices increase resoundingly. For six months, inflation has been above 15% in food, being 16.5% in March, one tenth less than in February. To alleviate this situation, the Government launched at the beginning of the year a VAT reduction to 0% on basic food products. But, now, this measure is hardly perceived and 4 out of 10 foods affected by this reduction are more expensive, according to FACUA's complaint, than at the time of its entry into force.
In April, the association carried out a follow-up on the evolution of almost 1,000 food prices that are affected by the VAT reduction. In the eight large distribution chains analyzed, four out of ten products have risen in price compared to the end of last year, before the Government approved the measure. In March, the figure was lower, and it was one in three products that had become more expensive. In February, one in five.
For this reason, and after the confirmation of the inflationary escalation in the establishments, the organization is going to extend the complaints that it already presented in previous months before the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC). The complaints are directed against all the chains under analysis: Alcampo, Aldi, Carrefour, Dia, Eroski, Lidl, Hipercor and Mercadona.
FACUA has reviewed the evolution of 991 prices in these eight distribution chains. The analyzes have been carried out on April 3, 4, 5 and 11. In them it has detected that in 416 cases, which translates into almost 42% of food, the price has become more expensive compared to what they had on December 30, before the VAT reduction was applied.
The chains that have increased the price of basic products the most during this month of April are Aldi, followed by Carrefour, which place the increase, according to FACUA, at around 50% of the foods analyzed. The two chains where the lowest percentage of price increases have been registered are Eroski (32.5% of products) and Mercadona (29.8%). Among the most affected foods are fruits and vegetables, followed by olive oil and milk or dairy products.
The National Institute of Statistics (INE) has made public the inflation data for the month of March, which generally stands at 7.5%, one tenth below that of February. In food, it has remained above 15% for six consecutive months, standing at 16.5%. It is a price increase that is especially noticeable in sugar, with an increase of 50.4%, butter (37.7%), olive oil (32.1%), whole milk (30.8%) and milk skimmed (30.2%). However, the inflationary escalation is notable in the vast majority of foods, which rise on average by more than 10%.
