Fish, seafood, meats, cheeses, ham, wine, nougat… The Spaniards’ favorite foods for the Christmas holiday menu are more expensive than a year ago, although in most cases they have experienced a smaller price increase than in 2022. The moderation is especially visible in the products fresh foods that usually star in Christmas recipes, such as fish, seafood and meat, depending on the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) released this Tuesday.
All of them, with the exception of pork, have increased in price, but below the average CPI for food and beverages, which stood at 9.5% in October of this year; Price drops have not been experienced in any category. compared to last year.
“We have seen that many of the fresh products that have so much weight in the Christmas basket are the ones whose price is being moderated the most,” the retail director of the consulting firm Kantar in Spain, Bernardo Rodilla, highlighted to Efeagro, who hopes therefore consumption these Christmas holidays is similar to last year.
Furthermore, and given the trend of going out to eat on December 25 and January 1, Rodilla has indicated that the moderation in the price of the main products in the Christmas basket can encourage some people to cook at home who were thinking of going to restaurants or ordering prepared dishes. “In times of certain economic tension, one of the first things that households do to adjust their spending is to moderate their outgoings,” says Rodilla, although he highlights that the price of energy is also a threat to cooking at home.
Fish and seafood
The fresh seafood shows a relevant containment in its price increase, of 1.9% annually in October of this year, which is seven percentage points less than what was experienced on the same dates in 2022. The same thing happens with the frozen seafood (+1.3% in the latest CPI compared to +8.1% a year ago) and frozen fish (+5.5% compared to +12.7%).
Fresh fish, which according to some studies is the favorite food of the Spanish to prepare their dishes at Christmas, has become more expensive by 7.1%, almost four points less than a year ago. “(7.1%) may seem like a high figure, but in an inflationary spiral in which food has risen month after month, we we have always been below the average rise“said the general director of the National Federation of Spanish Fishmongers (Fedepesca), María Luisa Álvarez.
The representative of the fishmongers has elaborated that this price increase barely represents “one and a half euro a month“, which is why he expressed his confidence that this “breaks with the idea that fish is an expensive product” and that consumption this Christmas will maintain a similar level to last year.
meats
Among meats, only pork has risen in price more than it did last year, a 13.8% year-on-year to October 2023 compared to the 12.3% increase in price with which it faced Christmas purchases in 2022. The rest of the meats have moderated their increase, especially bird -whose increase in price (+2.3%) is now up to 16 percentage points lower than a year ago- and that of bovinewhich increases by 6.2%, less than half that of October 2022.
Those who opt for roast goat or lamb chops will find sheep and goat meat 8% more expensive than a year ago, which represents a slightly smaller price increase than the 9.8% experienced in October 2022.
Hams, cheeses, smoked meats, sweets and drinks
Hams maintain an increase of 8.3%, exactly the same as a year ago, while smoked salmon It does so by 10.3%, almost three points less than what was recorded in October 2022. Another of the most consumed products at Christmas and which most moderates its price increase compared to last year (by more than 11 points) is he cheesewhich begins the current Christmas shopping campaign 7.2% more expensive.
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For their part, chocolates (+10.5%) and confectionery products (+17%) have risen more than a year ago, partly due to the rise in sugar, which despite containing its price increase by more than 30 percentage points compared to October 2022, continues to rise above the average (+12, 3%).
Among the drinks, the came has increased its price by 5%, three points less than a year ago, but the spirits and liqueurs They rose 7.4%, compared to the 4.6% increase last year.