This is analyzed annually by the AMA (Agrarmarkt Austria) in collaboration with GfK and KeyQuest Marktforschung. 2,800 representatively selected households document every purchase. The result for 2023: The quantity remained practically the same at a total of 1.97 million tons. Expenditures rose by 10.2 percent to 9.48 billion euros.
The shopping cart: The average monthly expenditure of a household was 220.6 euros. In such an average household there are 2.17 people (including 0.47 people under the age of 20) with an average age of 51 years. The most was spent on sausage and ham (33 euros), ahead of milk, yoghurt, butter (29.5 euros) and meat (24 euros).
The prices: Food became even more expensive, especially at the beginning of 2023, says AMA market research manager Micaela Schantl. The buoyancy reduced over the course of the year. Butter prices fell by 4.8 percent in 2023 as a whole. Cheese, on the other hand, became more expensive by 14.6 percent, and the milk, yoghurt and cream group by 10.2 percent. Further examples of price developments: Sausage and ham increased by 9.5 percent, eggs by 6.4 percent, ready meals by 12.8 percent. Meat rose in price by seven percent – beef, chicken and pork between 5.6 and 6.8 percent, minced meat by 13.4 percent. Fruit became more expensive by seven percent and vegetables by 7.8 percent. 11.1 percent more had to be paid for bread and pastries, and 8.8 percent more had to be paid for flour in the previous year.
The inflation contribution: General inflation was 7.8 percent. Is food now a driver of inflation? “No, other sectors contributed just as much to the inflation,” said AMA boss Christina Mutenthaler-Sipek when asked when the figures were presented on Tuesday. The quantities are stable, but there are different reasons for higher prices. In particular, products that are energy-intensive to produce have increased. And for potatoes, for example (plus 23.4 percent), the effects of a weaker harvest caused by pests and thus less supply were evident.
The amounts: Sales of more expensive products tended to stagnate or decline. The volume of beef and veal fell by 5.7 percent and that of pork by 1.6 percent. There was an increase of 2.4 and 5.8 percent for chicken and turkey meat, respectively. Fresh fruit and vegetables as well as bread and pastries stagnated, as did most dairy products.
The Corona effect: Households bought significantly fewer cans and flour in 2023. Schantl sees this as a consequence of the corona pandemic, when many Austrians had stocked up on long-lasting food. These are now coming to the end of their expiry date and are therefore gradually being used up. The quantity sold of canned fruit and vegetables fell by 4.5 percent in the previous year, while the decline in flour was 10.6 percent. In the case of flour, the quantity sold returned to the level before the crisis.
The discounts: The proportion of promotional goods increases significantly in the long term. In 20 years, this has more than doubled; in 2023, 30.6 percent of food was purchased at a discount. In 2003 it was 12.1 percent, in 2022 it was 29.2 percent. At the top are beef and pork with 52 and 51 percent action share, respectively, ahead of butter with 46 percent. In some cases, this is used to counteract market distortions and, for example, goods are sold at a steep discount shortly before the end of the best-before date. According to Mutenthaler-Sipek, it is important to “maintain the appreciation for food”.
The organic track: The organic share of food sold in Austria has increased over the past 20 years from 3.8 to 11.5 percent in 2022. Last year, however, it fell for the first time in twelve years, to eleven percent. The AMA attributes this to high inflation. But the food trade has “done a lot” to maintain its share, says Schantl. In Germany the organic share has fallen much more sharply.
