Russian consumers are increasingly substituting basic staples for once-affordable vegetables amid surging food prices and shrinking household budgets.
The most striking example is potatoes, a longtime dietary cornerstone in Russia, whose average retail price rose by 173% year-over-year by the end of May, the steepest annual increase in the past 23 years … Svetlana Misikhina, deputy director of the Center for Development at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, estimated that the affordability of potatoes has declined by nearly 45% over the past year.
Other key products are showing similar trends: the average price of onions rose 41% year over year, while butter became 34% more expensive. As a result, the affordability of onions and butter fell by 17% and 15%, respectively.
By contrast, the affordability of products like grains and pasta has improved by 12 and 14%, respectively, reflecting both relatively stable prices and increased consumer demand, Misikhina said.
Despite official attempts to frame this dietary shift as a choice for “higher-quality foods,” the data paints a picture of economic strain.
Interesting points.
An current example of how a war changes how people eat can be seen in Russia.
Russians Turn to Pasta and Bread Amid Record Potato Price Increases
What a convincing story, pasta is such a high-quality food /s