Supermarket prices have gone up across Europe. In Belgium, rising inflation is pushing consumers to think hard about their purchases. With inflation, the prices of bread, meat and vegetables are going up. According to data from Statbel, the Belgian office of statistics, food inflation (including alcoholic beverages) reached 8.44% in June compared to 6.32% the previous month.
In June, inflation in Belgium neared 10%, after reaching the highest level in 40 years in May. Energy prices are the main drivers of an increase in prices, but still, the contribution of food costs to the total is around 1.67%.
Many supermarkets have started promotions to encourage consumers to buy some products. But things are unlikely to change anytime soon. Consumer organizations call for governments to act, talking about a structural problem. The National Bank of Belgium predicts purchasing power won't increase significantly before 2023.
Source: euronews.com