Food prices in Germany have risen sharply until recently. A glimmer of hope: Among other things, pasta is now becoming cheap in discounters.
Munich – After the prices in the supermarkets in the past supermarkets have risen steadily, an end to the upward trend is in sight. Currently, however, discounters are outbidding each other in lowering the price of basic items – to the delight of consumers. After the prices for fruit, vegetables, cheese and butter have already fallen, pasta is now hit.
Aldi, Lidl and Kaufland: Which types of pasta are now becoming cheap at discounters
Inflation and a shortage of raw materials fuelled the ongoing upward spiral in supermarket prices – according to data from the Federal Statistical Office, food prices have risen by around 20 percent compared to the previous year. The inflation rate is increasingly weakening. The current pasta prices are also positive. Aldi, Lidl and Kaufland simultaneously lowered the prices of their own brands from 8 to 99 cents on 79 May. These products are affected:
- Lidl: Spaghetti, penne, rigate and fusilli from Combino
- Kaufland: Spaghetti by K-Classic
- Aldi: fusilli, penne, spaghetti from Cucina Nobile
As the Lebensmittelzeitung reports, cheese suddenly became cheap at Lidl and Kaufland at the end of April. One crucial difference: Lidl and Kaufland, both trading subsidiaries of the Schwarz Group, went it alone and reduced the prices of selected cheese products by around 18 percent. Aldi did not follow suit until days later. But the tide should turn with the next price reductions: Not only the pasta in the cheapest price segment became cheaper, Aldi also reduced the spaghetti price of its own organic brand "Gut Bio" by 36 percent.
That's why Lidl, Kaufland and Aldi are lowering the prices of pasta and the like.
Lidl and Kaufland justified the price reductions with the recovered raw material prices. In addition, there are signs of a price war between discounters and their direct competitor Aldi. This recently fuelled the competition for price leadership with the introduction of a new, low-cost own brand. The large supermarket chains à la Edeka and Co. could also come under pressure from falling discounter prices.
At Lidl, Aldi and Kaufland, pasta is currently available at particularly low prices. © Martin Wagner/Imago
In addition to supermarket rivals, such price reductions are also causing problems for farmers and farmers. The MDR reported that dairy farmers in particular are angry about the benefits. Among other things, rising energy prices are currently causing production costs to skyrocket, but prices in supermarkets are falling. While farmers received 60 cents per litre of milk last November, it was only about 45 cents in March, according to MDR.
