Festive products have seen their prices soar on average by 11% to 12.5%, estimate the specialized firms NielsenIQ and IRI. What increase the bill for households.
What if inflation spoils the party? While many of the flagship products of Christmas and New Year’s Eve meals are hit by shortages – whether foie gras, capons or turkey – the prices of these foodstuffs associated with this time of year fly away. The NielsenIQ and IRI panelists, keen observers of prices in supermarkets, estimate that since Christmas 2021, festive products have seen their prices increase almost at the same rate as the overall inflation of food products: 11.3% according to NielsenIQ and 12.5% according to the IRI.
As an aperitif, according to experts, champagne rose by more than 6% between November 2021 and November 2022. As a starter then, the essential foie gras saw its price soar due to avian flu: the increases reach between 12 and 13 % for canned foie gras such as fresh foie gras. The increase is even greater for toast bread, which jumped 17%.
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Those who prefer smoked salmon as a starter also suffer from inflation: its average price has risen by nearly 10% in one year. And if you feel like accompanying it with blinis, these have also soared by almost 10%. Lovers of frozen frogs and snails also see the rating for these products (in the frozen version) increase by 13%. As for oysters, neither the IRI nor NielsenIQ have precise data, but on the Rungis market, which mainly serves small businesses and restaurateurs and less large retailers, the wholesale price has risen by an average of 17%, according to The Parisian.
The price of frozen logs soars
As a main course, same thing. Whole poultry is 18.6% more expensive than last Christmas. At Rungis, the capon soared by 14%, according to The Parisian. As for frozen scallops, they have only increased, in supermarkets, “thatby 5.4%. Accompaniments are not to be outdone: both chestnuts and chestnuts and porcini mushrooms see their bills explode, by 11.9% and 6.3% respectively. The drinks department is not spared either, the average wine label has increased by 8.6%. Finally, for dessert, frozen yule logs are, according to the IRI, the festive product that has increased the most in one year, around 22.4%. Chocolate confectionery for their part took nearly 5%.
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Result, with this inflation, the average budget planned for the French for the Christmas meal has increased by 10 euros compared to 2021, according to a recent CSA Research survey for Cofidis. This year it amounts to 127 euros. A holiday spending item that seems protected by the French, since, still according to this study, only 5% of the French people questioned intend to limit their meal budget.
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