For another year the Christmas shopping basket will see the impact of inflation. Some claim that 2023 will be the most expensive Christmas in years. 10.3% increase in food expendituresAs estimated by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU). But even though inflation continues to punish food, there are products that will give you a break. Which one? Although it may not seem like it, some fish and seafood They are a little cheaper this year than last year. Also chicken and other poultry and some ‘premium’ cuts of beef. In El Periódico de Cataluña from Prensa Ibérica, we have prepared a selection of the following options: about thirty fishthose that are typically considered Christmas and we Price development in the last month and a halfWhen fishermen start preparing their New Year’s campaign and recommending their customers to buy immediately.
And this monitoring allowed us to deduce: two results. The first was also confirmed by Ángel Máñez, president of the Fish Wholesalers Association in the central market of Mercabarna. “Last year there were serious declines in many products”“. Máñez talks about cases crayfish shrimp Frozen, a classic of these dates, decreases by 30 percent compared to 2022 and salmon A decrease of around 15% was also recorded in aquaculture (almost 4% in fillets). Sea bass, sea bream and cooked octopus have also kept prices under control after reaching their peak last October. “Between frozen productincreasingly better quality and aquacultureWe have managed to maintain prices that already represent 40% of sales,” underlines the head of the fishermen’s union.
The second consequence is more immediate (and also more predictable): Predictably, there has been an increase in the prices of some of these foods. comeback in recent daysAs Christmas approaches, wholesalers do not stop insisting on consumers, even though they have not reached last year’s levels.predict your purchases “In the first week of December, make predictions as far in advance as possible to save something,” advises fish association member Llum Ortega. cheaper than last year“adds the head of being.
Chicken and duck are also inspected
He also continued that prices are “and in some cases falling.” chicken and poultry in general, states Josep Capdevila, director of the Avinova company and member of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition. “Production has normalized this year” drop in grain prices and this allowed for good duck production, for example,” says Capdevila. ecological productionsIn the open field, native chicken breeds “are ideal for these festivals”, including the Penedès in Catalonia.
In total, Mercabarna distributor associations plan to ship some 103,000 tons of fresh produceAs those responsible for the different unions that make up the large central market of Barcelona announced this Wednesday. Prices will be like this in 2023 a little higher Fruits and vegetables are the products most exposed to climate impact climate crisis. Special, aledo grapestypical New Year’s EveJaume Flores, vice president of the Mercabarna Wholesale Companies Association, announced that the harvest will increase by more than 60% compared to last year due to the poor harvest in the Mediterranean basin.
Fruit and vegetable distributors, who are bearing the brunt of climate inflation, say “after a few months where the storm was intense until September, we are now We are entering a period of normalization“Flores admits. The distributor emphasizes the efforts distributors are making to have grapes available by the end of the year. “It will be a guaranteed product, but it will be more expensive,” adds Pere Prats, vice president of fruit, and the vegetable association says it will see an increase in price due to the low harvest. other food artichoke.
But the meat section closes with a result bad news For those who love to celebrate Christmas in a powerful way child baked. “It will be very scarce and expensive… Also because of the drought,” said Martí Colomer, spokesman for the Mercabarna meat industry. Alternatively, Colomer suggested purchasing a boneless leg of lamb and cooking it in the oven with spices and aromatic herbs. potatoesBy the way, it is one of the few vegetables whose prices will decrease this year.