May in Estonian supermarkets: Biggest fluctuations hit vegetable prices

While the prices of many food products rapidly skyrocketed last year, the situation has since stabilized, and many product prices this May remained largely unchanged on month. The biggest fluctuations last month were recorded in vegetable prices.
Comparing last month's prices with this April's prices, the prices of dairy products didn't change much, according to figures released by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI).
Last month, the average cost of a liter of bagged milk remained unchanged at €0.67, while sour cream, 10-percent coffee cream and cottage cheese prices all went up by a cent or two. The price of kefir likewise went up by two cents on month to total €1.12 per liter.
On year, meanwhile, dairy products have gotten cheaper. Compared with May 2023, the price of bagged milk has dropped 23 percent, sour cream by 11 percent, i.e. from €3.53 to €3.15 per liter, and coffee cream from €2.71 to €2.50.
A year ago, all dairy products but cottage cheese were more expensive than they were last month; in the same timespan, the price of cottage cheese went up two cents from €5.76 to €5.78 per kilogram.
While the price of import eggs fell by 5 percent, domestic eggs have gotten more expensive on year, going up nearly 6 percent compared with May 2023.
Compared with this April, domestic egg prices have continued to remain steady, with the price of a ten-count carton of domestic medium eggs remaining unchanged at €2.53. A carton of large eggs, meanwhile, went up by two cents to €2.87.
Import egg price fluctuations depended on the size of the eggs, with medium eggs falling 11 percent on month, from €2.14 to €1.90, and large eggs down nearly 3 percent.
Grains, bakery goods prices down on year
Among grains and bakery goods, prices this May were by and large down on year. Wheat flour, for example, was down 14 percent in year in price, reaching €1.40 per kilogram.
White bread went down 7 cents on year, even as the price of rye bread went up 4 cents per kilogram.
Compared with April, grains and bakery goods prices remained largely steady. Rye bread went up by ten cents, while white bread prices fell by one cent and and the price of wheat flour remained unchanged at €1.20 per kilo.
The price of oatmeal has continued to hold steady in recent months, but on year nonetheless went up 4 cents per kilo.
This May, a kilogram of sugar cost €1.32, down two cents on month and down from €1.45 on year.
In the meat category, import broiler meat saw the biggest spike in price on year, going up from €3.13 per kilo last May to €3.89 per kilo last month – an increase of 24 percent. Compared with this April, however, the price of broiler meat actually fell by two cents per kilo.
Cooked sausage prices went up 11 percent on year, rising from €6.06 to €6.74 per kilo.
Boneless pork, domestic ground meat – specifically 50/50 ground beef and pork – and smoked pork chops all went up in price on year, by around 5, 3 and 3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the price of pork ribs fell by a few percent and domestic broiler meat by a few cents per kilogram on year.
Compared with this April, meat prices remained largely unchanged. The biggest price increase was recorded for pork ribs, which went up 3 percent on month. Other meat price increases remained below 1.5 percent on month.
Fish prices swing by as much as 34 percent
Fish prices fluctuate more than those of other food prices, and are thus tracked both at markets and in supermarkets, between which shoppers can encounter major price differences. These fluctuations held true in May's prices as well.
In supermarkets, the biggest, 34 percent increase on year was recorded for chilled whole Baltic herring, which went up from €3.31 per kilo in May 2023 to €4.43 per kilo last month.
The price of chilled salmon fillet also went up, rising 18 percent from €22.84 to €26.95 per kilo, as did that of pikeperch fillet, which went up 28 percent to reach €27.34 per kilo.
Supermarket chilled trout and trout fillet prices, meanwhile, both fell 13-14 percent compared with last May.
At the same time, several varieties of fish went up in price at markets compared with last May, with chilled pikeperch increasing nearly 20 percent to €11.86 per kilo and chilled Baltic herring up 11 percent on year.
Compared with this April, the biggest increase in supermarket fish prices was recorded for chilled trout fillet, which rose 18 percent from €16.38 to €19.39 per kilo. At markets, meanwhile, prices by and large fell on month, where chilled trout fillet in fact fell a full 12 percent since April.
Vegetables see biggest price changes
Last month, the vegetable category saw among the biggest fluctuations in price on year. The biggest such difference was recorded for import cucumbers, which went up 56 percent from €1.89 to €2.94 per kilogram.
Even so, last month's cucumber prices were down 14 percent compared with April.
Domestic cucumbers, meanwhile, fell in price on year, from €6.32 per kilo last May to €5.24 per kilo last month. Last month's price, however, still marked an increase of 29 percent on month, as domestic cucumbers had averaged €4.07 per kilo in April.
Onion prices fell a full 34 percent on year, down from €1.61 to €1.06 per kilo, as well as by five cents since April.
Carrot prices, meanwhile, went up 17 percent on year from €1.45 to €1.70, while import tomato prices were up 12 percent as well. The price of carrots and tomatoes had increased since April as well, by 14 and 19 percent, respectively.
In April and May alike, a kilogram of domestic Estonian apples cost €4.30. Import apples, meanwhile, went up nearly 10 percent on month, from €2.15 to €2.33 per kilo, and more than 8 percent on year.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Aili Vahtla