EU food: Price of basic foodstuffs up by nearly 50% since January 2021

Bizarrely, this was not “caused by Brexit”

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2023

Brexit Facts4EU looks at the latest food price rises announced by the EU last week

On Thursday the EU Commission released a report on the increase in price of four basic food items in the EU. Our summary below reveals how basic prices affecting EU27 consumers are just as bad in the EU as in the UK.

Olive oil, potatoes, eggs and butter are just as much staple foodstuffs in the EU as they are in the UK. We present the latest figures form the EU Commission on Thursday about the price rises in these four items since Jan 2021.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Price rises of four basic food items in the EU

Jan 2021 to Sept 2023

Olive oil : +75.3%
Potatoes : +53.1%
Eggs : +37.3%
Butter : +26.7%

[Source : EU Commission, 02 Nov 2023.]

The EU Commission’s report

The EU’s report relates to olive oil, potatoes, eggs, and butter. Here is what they said :-

“After substantial increases in 2022, food prices in the EU continued to rise also in 2023.”
“In September 2023, the price of olive oil was 75% higher than in January 2021. In January 2022, prices were already 11% higher than the same month of the year before, and between September 2022 and September 2023, prices registered a sharp increase.
“Potato prices were also on a staggering rise. Since January 2021, prices for potatoes increased by 53% in September 2023.”
“As for the prices of eggs, in September 2023, they were 37% higher than in January 2021.”
“In September, butter was 27% more expensive than in January 2021.”
- EU Commission, 02 Nov 2023

What is shown above is indexed by the EU to Jan 2021. These are 'real' price increases.

Observations

Whilst there has undoubtedly been inflation in the UK, our report above shows this is not confined to the UK. Across Europe there have been steep price increases. The latest report from the EU Commission about the rises in the prices of four staple foodstuffs proves this.

We have not been selective. We used the data released by the EU Commission. It was they who chose the four staple foodstuffs, not us. The average increase is over 48%.

Clearly this is not in any way “due to Brexit”. We wish we didn’t have to point out these things but given the ignorance and the vigorous activity of the Remainer-Rejoiner community it seems we must still do this. And if we don’t point these things out, who will?

We must get reports like this out there

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[ Sources: EU Commission ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Sun 05 Nov 2023

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Reader Comments 16

1. Andy , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 07:45:

The main reason Olive Oil has rocketed in price is because this years harvest is abysmal. My own trees have so few olives they really aren't worth the effort to pick. Friends who have quite large orchards are lucky to pick 20% of a normal harvest. Added to which there is a new disease that is rife in Southern Italy and may possibly have spread further. One man here has lost over a third of his orchard this year.
As to food prices in general things are more expensive here than in the UK. For example 250g of 'President Butter' (a French premium brand) is 4.27 Euros or £3.70 at my local Supermarket, which is part of a big chain. Exactly the same thing can be had at Sainsbury's for £2.70. Exactly the same thing applies to almost everything you buy.

2. terence patrick hewett , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 09:37:

The govt could have replaced the £270billion EU food imports by importing from Oz and NZ, but they chose to support the EU instead of their own demos. They will pay terminally at the GE for the insult.

3. Catherine , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 10:32:

@1, Andy.
FIrstly, presumably this year's harvest will be on shop shelves next year, not this.
Secondly, that "new" disease - I think you must be thinking of xylella fastidiosa. It's described as "one of the most dangerous plant pathogens in the world". Xylella is perhaps most notorious for decimating olive trees. Last year it was estimated it hit 20 million of Italy's 150 million olive trees. Where there's an outbreak, the trees have to be destroyed. The pathogen arrived in Italy in 2013. It's spread to France and Spain, with very concerning outbreaks in France in 2020.
Here's the kicker. With Brexit, the UK government tightened the rules on import of plants, to try to prevent xylella arriving in the UK. (Xylella kills oak and elm, amongst many other plants.)
What did the EU do?
It issued infringement proceedings against the UK for seeking to tigthen protection, in October 2020. "The European Commission announced it had triggered infringement proceedings against the UK after the country failed to “comply with EU rules on Xylella fastidiosa and Certocytis platani”. "
Perhaps if the EU had tightened its own rules, Andy's friend might not have lots so many of his olive trees.

4. John Jones , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 12:03:

2. terence patrick hewett
"...The govt could have replaced the £270billion EU food imports..."
Care to share your source and definition of what is included?
Whereas official government figures are:
"..In 2020, the UK imported 46% of the food it consumed. Having a diverse range of international sources makes food supply more resilient, as if the production or output of one source is disrupted, other sources can meet demand. No one country provided more than 11% of those imports, a picture which has been stable for some time. By value, £48 billion of food, feed, and drink (FFD) was imported and £21.4 billion was exported...."
Source: https://www.gov.uk/governme...

5. KB , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 12:31:

Catherine (3): so I suppose we caved in straight away ?
On the other hand, I have to ask, if we are not inspecting EU imports, how could we enforce a ban anyhow ?

6. terence patrick hewett , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 12:59:

@Catherine
Congrats for using the word "decimated" correctly.

7. Sparky , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 16:39:

The items selected have increased due to climate or a decrease in global production.
.
The LSE produced a report in May.
.
“The university’s latest report estimating the impact of leaving the bloc on UK food prices found that trade barriers were consistently hampering imports, pushing up bills by an average £250. The cost of food in the UK had rocketed by 25% since 2019, the researchers calculated, but if the post-Brexit trade restrictions were not in place then this increase would be only 17% – nearly a third lower”.
.
The UK hasn’t implemented full controls on imports from the EU as yet, these have been delayed several times partly on the basis of it increasing inflation.

8. Sparky , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 16:57:

And a study in June:
.
“Nearly two thirds of voters believe Brexit has contributed to runaway inflation and soaring food prices that have left the UK mired in a cost of living crisis, exclusive polling suggests. A majority (63 per cent) believe Brexit has had a negative impact on food prices in the supermarket and the broader cost of living (60 per cent), the BMG Research for i showed.”

9. KB , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 17:32:

Sparky (8) well is that not simply a reflection of how successful the BBC, Channel 4 et al have been, pushing the narrative that Brexit caused inflation?
In any case, the best response is to use our new trade deals to play off potential suppliers against each other. Something we couldn't do whilst in EU because of the high tariffs on foods from outside the EU.
Yet you rejoiners seem dead against that idea. Why is that?

10. jon iivesey , Sunday, November 05, 2023, 17:59:

8. Sparky , "And a study in June:" Oh boy! A "study" in June. Now that's exciting, isn't it? Did this study that reported opinions also manage to explain why Remain could not attract two thousand marchers to its big history-changing protest march in September? And did they happen to mention that Remain were so embarrassed by this that they released photos from marches in previous years that gave a misleading impression of the numbers who turned out to march? Guilty intent much?
As usual, it's the difference between opinion and fact. Ask the ordinary Joe if Brexit is a factor in inflation and he will say "Gee, I dunno, probably." Ask the same ordinary Joe if the development of fusion power is a factor in inflation, or bad weather in the Channel, or immigration, or street disorders, or Russian or Ukraine, and he will say "Gee, I dunno, probably."
That's opinion, but ask Joe if he plans to lift one single solitary finger to do anything about it and he will look at you as if you are daft. In 2024 he will vote for or against parties that don't even mention Brexit in their manifestos and that say there is "no case" for doing anything, and that will be that.

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