Spanish society is becoming increasingly health conscious. The national diet has become more imbalanced than ever before.. The dizzying pace of life today has led millions of people to neglect healthy habits in favor of the lowest quality processed foods that flood supermarket shelves.
Pizza, commercial batter, frozen, Stuffed pasta and dairy desserts have become popular among consumers who spend less time in the kitchen compared to the intake of foods we need to eat in larger quantities, such as carbohydrates and fiber, fish, fruits and vegetables. Whole carbohydrates and fiber, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
The problem is that these Deli meat consumption has increased by almost 40% over the past decadetypically contain more salt, sugar, saturated fat, and additives. It doesn’t get any healthier than a homemade meal made with fresh ingredients.
In this context, Consumers who prioritize access to healthy foods should, on average, expect: 20% surcharge Contains more ultra-processed foods than traditional baskets; Based on a shopping cart price comparison survey conducted by. Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) in over 40 supermarket chains
OCU recognized it “Fresh foods are traditionally more expensive than ultra-processed foods.” However, attention has been focused on the inflationary trend introduced this year in basic products necessary for our diet, such as meat and vegetables, with the rate of increase exceeding record highs. Consumer Price Index (CPI)last October’s closing price was just over 3%.
“This year saw a huge increase of 6.7% in fruit and vegetables, meat and fish.” Highlighting consumer organizations that are particularly concerned about rising egg prices, “It has increased by 50% In just half a year.” Especially in the cheapest category, households with fewer economic resources are negatively affected.
These “rises will rise” The average cost of Healthy Basket is up to 216 euros per person per month”compared to 181 euros per month for the traditional basket,” OCU charges. “And the worst part is that this is a process that goes back a long way. Grocery prices have increased by 36% in the past four years”.
cheapest chain and most expensive chain
OCU’s research also shows that there is wide variation between supermarkets. So he points out that The cheapest chains for healthy baskets are Family Cash and Alcampo;while the cheapest are Sorli and Hipercor, which are about 25% more expensive. The report also observes price differences between different state capitals.Valladolid, La Coruña, Caceres and Almeria are the least expensive cities on average For a healthy basket. Conversely, the Canary Islands’ capitals, Barcelona, Gerona and Huelva, are the most expensive, with annual additional costs per household that can reach up to 700 euros. ”
These price increases are having a major impact on Spanish households. According to OCU research, Up to 33% of families say it is difficult or very difficult to spend money on fruits and vegetables. 30% when asked about intake of bread, pasta, rice, oil, and dairy products. For meat and fish, the maximum is 42%.
Regarding all this, OCU told the government ““VAT on basic food items will be temporarily reduced from 4% to 0%.”fruits, vegetables, fresh or minimally processed legumes, milk, eggs, olive oil, etc.”, as well as cuts taxes on meat and fish from 10% to 4%.
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