In the coronavirus crisis, food prices rise significantly. There is no risk of a bottleneck, but some products can clearly become more expensive.
- Although some of the groceries have meanwhile not been available in the usual quantities, there is no supply shortage in Germany.
- Some goods could still become more expensive due to the corona virus .
- Seasonal goods such as fruit and vegetables are particularly affected.
NRW - Where in the beginning of the crisis in connection with the corona virus * staple food and toilet paper were sold in large quantities, most supermarket shelves are now well filled again. The so-called hamster purchases are declining, as RUHR24.de * reports.
Coronavirus: are foods becoming more expensive now?
Nevertheless, some foods could become more expensive during and after the coronavirus crisis , as Öko-Test reports. However, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) assures that the food supply is still secured.
However, Federal Food Minister Julia Klöckner sees possible supply bottlenecks in the packaging material and thus also in certain foods. In order to avoid general bottlenecks , the BMEL has launched an action.
Federal Ministry calls for conscious consumption during the coronavirus pandemic
With the hashtag #KaufNurWasDuBrauchst, the Ministry would like to call for consciously organizing shopping in times of the corona virus . "Every hamster purchase further increases the fear of the crisis. Every unnecessarily empty shelf creates panic - and as a result, the next buyer will buy too much next time," writes the ministry.
But while there is no shortage of staple foods , fresh food looks different. Because spring is the crucial planting and sowing time for some vegetables and fruits . For some, the harvest season is already on the cards . Due to border closures and the recent ban on entry for harvest workers, many workers from Eastern Europe, especially from Poland and Romania, could not get to Germany.
Corona virus: The harvest of fresh fruit and vegetables could be less
A new concept by the BMEL and the Federal Minister of the Interior allows up to 40,000 harvest helpers to enter Germany in April and May . However, this measure cannot compensate for all the missing workers in the agricultural sector. Therefore, further solutions have been found.
Purchased too many stocks in the past few weeks? What will become of it now?
We will be giving tips in the coming days so that no #food ends up in the bin.
You can find more information at our initiative @zgfdt ⇨ https://t.co/LWpl62NiAh #KaufNurWasDuBrauchst # Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/b9PBqn9zdV
For example, the federal government extended the working hours for seasonal workers : In times of the corona virus, they can now work for 115 days in Germany without social security , instead of around 70 days as before. Workers who are already on site can therefore help longer than planned. In addition, the German Farmers' Association refers to the website Saisonarbeit-in-deutschland.de , where farmers can search for harvest helpers.
Asparagus and strawberries could become more expensive due to the corona virus
Are acutely asparagus and strawberries from the effects of the coronavirus and the resultant lack of harvest workers affected. Between April 1 and 19, the asparagus price is said to have been 38 percent higher than in the previous year, as Öko-Test reports.
Harvest helpers are still lacking in seasonal fruit and vegetables due to the corona virus. The impact this could have on the price is not clear.
© Daniel Reinhardt / dpa
However , it is not yet possible to predict whether this price increase will continue. In addition, there is also a lack of important customers for asparagus, lettuce and other vegetables due to the limited gastronomy , which means that , in theory, more vegetables are available for end consumers.
Coronavirus: restaurateurs are missing as an important consumer of fresh food
The potentially lower crop yields do not necessarily lead to permanently higher prices for the consumer . According to the agricultural market information society , strawberries and raspberries were even slightly cheaper in April than in the previous year.
But not only fresh food could become more expensive, travel could also rise in price in connection with the corona virus *. If a safety distance is also to be maintained in aircraft , the number of available spaces also shrinks . At the same time, it is possible that tour operators have to compensate for the current losses financially.
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* RUHR24.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
List of rubric lists: © Daniel Reinhardt / dpa