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Food prices highest in the EFTA countries
statistikk
2002-10-04T10:00:00.000Z
Prices and price indices
en
pppvare, Price level for consumer goods and services, price level index, EU countries, EEA countries, international comparisonsConsumer prices , Prices and price indices
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Price level for consumer goods and services, 2001

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Food prices highest in the EFTA countries

The EFTA countries Norway, Switzerland and Iceland have the highest food prices in Europe, with Denmark substantially above the EU average as well. Results from the 2001 price survey indicate that food prices in Norway are 54 percent higher than in the EU as a whole.

For non-alcoholic beverages, the difference is 64 percent. Highly taxed products like alcoholic beverages and tobacco contribute further to a high relative price level in Norway.

Relative price levels of food, 2001. EU15=100

High price levels in Norway, Switzerland and Iceland

The relative price level for food is about 50 percent higher in these countries than in the EU as a whole. Denmark, with the highest level of food prices in the EU (28 percent above the average), is far behind the three EFTA countries. The price levels in Sweden and Finland are somewhat above the EU average, whereas Greece, Portugal and Spain have the lowest food prices in the EU. Most EU candidate countries have a price level substantially below the EU average.

In Norway and Iceland, price levels are high for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages as well. Norway and Britain have the highest price levels for tobacco.

High prices of bread, sugar and meat

The three EFTA countries and - to a lesser extent - Denmark generally have high price levels for all types of food. In Norway, the price levels are particularly high for bread and cereals, sugar products and meat. Among the non-alcoholic beverages, the sub-group 'mineral waters, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices' contribute to the high price level in Norway, whereas coffee, tea and cocoa prices are closer to the EU average.

Results do not reflect different income levels

Price level indices reflect the price levels faced by consumers, given that they conform to the average consumption pattern of each country. The results do not take each country's income level into account. Statistics previously published have shown that price and income levels will often tend to be correlated. For example, in 2000 the EFTA countries had a higher GDP per capita than the EU countries taken as a whole, even after GDP figures had been adjusted to take the different price levels into account.

Preliminary figures

The price data for this survey was collected within the framework of the European Comparison Programme (ECP) in May 2001. The prices have later been adjusted to annual average and aggregated using expenditure values from each country's National Accounts as weights. The results published here are preliminary.

Price Level Indices for food, beverages and tobacco in selected countries. EU15=100.
  Denmark Finland France Iceland Italy Norway Poland Britain Switzerland Sweden Germany
Food  128  112  110  148  100  154 58  103  151  113  101
Bread and cereals  136  132  105  166 99  171 57 86  140  122  106
Meat  124  108  116  153 96  165 48 98  189  107  117
Fish  130 99  112  103 99  143 77  107  159 97  101
Milk, cheese and eggs  110  101  108  141  117  143 58  112  133  104 82
Oils and fats  131  116  123  150 96  151 87  110  167  125 91
Fruit  125  106  108  138  101  130 60  113  128  103  109
Vegetables  144  119  113  170  100  152 54  111  157  123  101
Sugar, jam, honey chocolate and confectionery  141  109  105  162 95  170 76  114  129  127 88
Other foods  137  137  102  132 87  150 74  117  146  142  101
Non-alcoholic beverages  142  119 91  155 88  164 77  125  113  116  105
Coffee, tea and cocoa  110  111  101  136 97  118 81  109  106 92  111
Mineral waters, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices  162  123 86  162 86  188 76  133  116  132  102
Alcoholic beverages  144  195 88  235 87  272  119  164  120  164 82
Tobacco  133  120  104  139 82  221 47  203 92  119 90
Source:  Source: Eurostat.

Read more about this subject in Eurostat's publication " Statistics in Focus "