As the festive season draws near, Czech shoppers are feeling the pinch not only on butter but also on eggs. The Czech Statistical Office reports a staggering 31.35% increase in egg prices since October, with a carton of ten eggs now averaging 64.81 crowns – a 27.75% jump from last year.
Butter, already a hot topic of debate between Prime Minister Petr Fiala and opposition leader Andrej Babiš, has seen its price climb by 3.16% month-on-month and 35.25% year-on-year. A 250-gram block now sets consumers back 70.94 crowns.
Since January 2019, both eggs and butter have hit record highs, with eggs up 39.14% and butter 36.41% since the start of this year. However, it’s not all bad news for shoppers. Sugar and flour prices have reached their lowest points this year, offering some relief to baking enthusiasts.
The price hikes aren’t limited to dairy and poultry products. Ten out of 13 monitored items have seen increases compared to October. Beer lovers and potato aficionados will notice about a 2% rise in their favorite products. On the brighter side, alongside sugar and flour, apples have become more affordable, with a kilogram now costing 40.26 crowns, down from October’s 41.44 crowns.
What’s behind these price fluctuations? For butter, it’s a perfect storm of factors: fat shortage, increased demand for other dairy products, and long-term cow breeding focused on milk yield rather than fat content. As for eggs, the price surge is attributed to a Europe-wide shortage of laying hens, renovations of cage systems, and outbreaks of bird flu.
As consumers grapple with these price changes, the Office for the Protection of Competition is investigating the butter price increases. However, results aren’t expected until next spring, leaving shoppers to navigate the holiday season with heavier grocery bills.