Consumer despair at food inflation: ‘Working people can't afford to eat in one of the supposedly richest countries in the world'

Irish Times

6 hours ago

Talk of geopolitical turmoil,
tariffs
, inflation and the price of fertiliser will only ever get us so far when it comes to understanding the impact soaring prices up and down our supermarket aisles is having on people.
Consumers who shared their shopping stories with The Irish Times in recent days show just how many are struggling to make ends meet.
Sharon Healy from Wexford is a mother of two and has been keeping a close eye on her shopping since 2021.
'My average groceries shop every Friday in 2021 was approximately €150,' she says. 'I buy 95 per cent of same items every week [and] compared to 2021 my average weekly grocery shop is now approximately €200 and I have reduced the number of items in my trolley to try save money. '
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She says a pound of own-brand butter that cost €2.19 in 2021 costs €3.99 today, an increase of 87 per cent while two litres of own-brand milk that did cost €1.49 now costs €2.49, up 67 per cent.
'This month the cost of beef has gone through the roof. A pack 454g of minced steak that cost €3.49 is now €4.99, an increase of 43 per cent in only two months,' she says.
'On average my total grocery spend per week buying smaller items during the week is now €270 when four years ago the most I spent in one week was €180. That's on average an increase in weekly grocery shopping of 50 per cent of cost. I just can't see how this is sustainable for any ordinary person on an average industrial wage.'
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Grocery prices are still soaring. How can that be?
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To put her numbers into perspective, spending €90 more each week equates to an annual increase of €4,680 and as that is a net figure, many people will have to earn almost twice that amount just to stay in exactly the same financial position now as they were then.
'We're absolutely sick of the prices going up and the portions getting smaller,' says Alison Bradshaw.
She points to price hikes up and down the aisles and across all the supermarkets chains. Meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, coffee and everything is 'off the charts' expensive.
'You can now carry your shopping if you spend €50-€60. That's absolutely crazy; €50 euro should mean something. We used to be able to get quite a bit in a small trolley for that.'
Unofficial inflation
John Dunne tells us that the cost of weekly groceries for two adults and three children has gone from €120 to €200 in a very short space of time. 'That's much higher than official food inflation figure,' he says.
Sinead Kavanagh is a single parent who can 'only shop every second week now, other than milk and bread staples. Everything else has to stretch.'
Louise Maxwell says she in infuriated by 'the hidden price rises that the average customer has to deal with that the supermarket owners think they won't notice. Like watering down own-brand bleach so it's less viscous and not thick as advertised.
'Garlic bread, again own brand, the slices have got smaller and the price has gone up. I've stopped buying these items, because they're just not value for money, and I can't afford to waste money.'
Unhealthy food is cheaper
Petra Hanlon's house has two adults and two children, and, 'like many others, no food is wasted. We cook and freeze yellow-labelled food. We make predominantly veg dishes and add mixed beans or chickpeas,' she writes adding that even humble chickpeas can now cost up to €1.65 for a can.
'We are fortunate to be able to afford our groceries, but at the expense of cutting back on other parts of life. We do not get takeaways. We do not eat out and we invested in a coffee machine for home with two travel cups.
'We got two travel-water bottles too for taking our own filtered water. We have purchased little pots for the kids so their yoghurt /snacks for school lunches are not made up of individually wrapped store bought stuff,' she continues.
'We try to make sure our kids food is not highly processed with high levels of sugar and salt, yet this is the only food that is discounted. You can see why some parents have to buy these foods.'
The retirees
Fabian Lee and her partner are about 10 years retired 'and there is no way that our pensions keep pace with the cost of living!
'We have the apps for the four big supermarkets on our phones and check them regularly for special prices, money off vouchers etc. We locate the 'almost out of date' shelf for reduced prices, cook some immediately and freeze some for later.
We combine a supermarket shop with a visit to our pharmacy, the cheapest petrol which we check online regularly and other necessary shopping. We are not poor but have to be careful.'
Siobhán Kennedy describes the grocery shop as 'a nightmare now; Tesco butter was €2.29 and has creeped up to €3.99, a Tesco rib-eye steak was €6 for a pack of two it's now €12, own-brand toilet roll was €2.49 for a nine pack is now €4, milk was €2.29 for three litres now it's €3.55.'
It is much the same story for Denise Lyons: 'Cereal and staple foods are just gone up and up – butter, cereals, tea, coffee, beef, cheese, all crazy money and no justification for when they just get an extra 60 cent slapped on every few months. '
Judy Harney says that 'in a matter of weeks coffee went from €6.50 to €8 to €10. Toothpaste went up to €7. Pack sizes have reduced by 25-30 per cent plus a price hike. Salmon sold as slivers now.'
She says she came across a figure recently that 40 per cent of parents skip meals to be able to feed their kids. Working people genuinely can't afford to eat in one of the supposedly richest countries in the world. Prices are way in excess of inflation. Life in Ireland is existing, not living and makes the miserable '70s/'80s look positively joyous vs now. And it's all just greed, greed, greed. '