Poles eat less. We know what products they give up most often

The yeast doesn’t go away. It not only drains the wallets of Poles, but also forces many people to tighten their belts. According to experts, we buy fewer products to be enough for the first one. Similar conclusions can be drawn from the latest GUS report.

A local bazaar in Warsaw’s Mokotów district. Many people, before making purchases, check the prices of vegetables and fruits at subsequent stands. Most often they buy cheap products, those that cost less than ten zlotys per kilogram. Cherries and products of forest origin are also very popular.

Expensiveness in stores. Customers usually buy cheaper products

Customers ask about the prices of berries or favorite mushrooms, but most of them either buy mushrooms by the piece or resign from expensive purchases. For many people, popular chanterelles or mushrooms are a sign of high prices. – More and more people are carefully counting every zloty before they spend it. They buy only what is necessary to prepare home-cooked meals – says Mr. Kazimierz, the owner of a small stall at the bazaar.

The seller points out that until two years ago he had honey and custom-made cakes on offer. – Now no one even asks for it. That’s why I gave up expensive products he adds. In order not to lose customers, the seller had to adapt to their expectations – he sells e.g. many products, including eggs by the piece, and cut watermelons into slices.

Central Statistical Office report. Consumers cut their spending

Joanna, a saleswoman in a local grocery store, speaks in a similar tone. – At the height of the price, I was selling a third of what I used to sell. It’s similar now. Customers come to the store with a card so as not to exceed the set amount or buy only a few products – claims.

Lower demand is confirmed not only for basic groceries by experts, the decrease in consumption can also be seen in subsequent studies. “One of the main reasons is the real decrease in the average monthly disposable income per person in households” – according to the latest report of the Central Statistical Office. Last year it amounted to 2.6 percent. And this translated into a reduction in consumer spending.

A disturbing phenomenon. Poles eat less vegetables and fruits

The study shows that the highest decrease in consumption concerned: fish and seafood (11.1%), fruit (6.8%) and animal fats (5.4%). Many people gave up buying more expensive products, e.g. butter, choosing cheaper substitutes. Instead, we bought more pasta and pasta products (5%), vegetable fats (4.8%) and sugar, cold cuts and other meat products (2.7% each).

Dearness. The situation of households has deteriorated, except for farmers

“The material situation of households in 2022 deteriorated in all socio-economic groups, except for farmers, among whom this assessment slightly improved,” informs the news portal Wiadomoscihandlowe.pl. A worrying phenomenon, both in the city and in the countryside, is the decrease in the value of monthly consumption of fruit and vegetables per person.

Experts pay attention to one more aspect. By more than 3 percent. the percentage of households assessing their financial situation as good or rather good has decreased. It currently stands at 49.9 percent. compared to 53.3 percent. in 2021. This applies to both residents of large cities and small towns.

According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, last year, depending on the wealth of the wallet, the average Pole consumed monthly: