The price of food continues to rise. In June, products were 11.2 percent more expensive than a year earlier. Do the typical West Frisian regional products suffer from the rising costs? “Sooner or later the consumer will pay the bill.”
Wijngaard Saalhof in Wognum cannot escape inflation. “The wine is becoming more expensive due to the rising costs. Bottles, the transport to get those bottles here and coat hooks. Everything is becoming more expensive”, Ada Loos, one of the owners of Saalhof, outlines the situation. When will the consumer feel this? “Not yet, but in the long run, we will have to pass on the cost in the coming years. We can’t do anything else.”
crooked situation
Potato grower Kees Bos notices little or nothing of the price increase. He grows the ‘Opperdoezer Ronde’ on half a hectare, a special variety that is grown in Opperdoes alone. On an annual basis he sells about 15 to 20 tons – via a packer – to supermarkets such as Vomar, Dirk van den Broek and Lidl.
Next Monday Bos will even lower his price. He has to, it sounds like. “With about 13 cents, that’s quite a lot. Otherwise I won’t lose my harvest. And that while the price in the supermarket remains above two euros.”
Does he have anything to do with it himself? “No, we are at the bottom of the chain. The supermarkets want to be high up in the tree, because our product is a delicacy. They are taking advantage of the situation. If the potato is offered cheaply, the retail price will ultimately also have to drop. But that all takes way too long. We always have to be the first to drop before they lower the price. We shouldn’t interfere with that either. But now I can feel it in my wallet.”
krentemik
The war in Ukraine has economic consequences. Something that Hans Baas of Bakkerij Baas in Hoogwoud also sees. Together with his wife Loes, he makes the currant mik, a delicacy that has become a household name in West Friesland. “The raw material prices such as grain and wheat are skyrocketing. Our currants come from Greece, but they have also become more expensive. Everything is related,” says baker Hans Baas.
“Sooner or later, the consumer will pay the bill. We are seeing that now. The price for half a currant mik has increased by 20 to 30 percent. From 6.50 to 8.25 euros.”
In addition to raw material prices, Baas also sees energy prices rising. “We went from 1,400 euros per month to 1,200 per week. Aren’t those absurd amounts?”