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MONEY

What to know about the latest price hikes in German supermarkets

The cost of food and drink has been rocketing in Germany in recent months. We lay out some of the latest price hikes that may affect how you shop.

A man holds a Bratwurst with mustard in Saxony.
A man holds a Bratwurst with mustard in Saxony. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Hendrik Schmidt

Supermarkets have been hiking up the cost of grocery products as inflation rises.  And it’s hard to escape – all branches of Aldi Süd, Aldi Nord, Lidl, Penny, Rewe, Edeka, Kaufland, Hit – and others – are affected.

German news site Focus Online gathered together a number of groceries going up in cost. We take a look at some of them, and how you can save money.

Butter

The price of butter has climbed to over €3 in many places. For a pack of Irish Butter from Kerrygold, consumers now have to pay around €3.39 instead of €2.89, from the previous week. That’s a price increase of 17 percent.

Own-brand butter is cheaper at Aldi Süd, Aldi Nord, Lidl, Penny and Netto Marken-Discount. Consumers save about 30 cents compared to the branded product. But here, too, the 250 gram pack became 20 cents more expensive – it’s going up to around €2.29.

READ ALSO: The grocery products in Germany getting more expensive

Milk (Milch)

Customers at Aldi and Lidl are facing price hikes on milk. The milk of the own brands Milfina and Milbona climbed from 88 cents to 92 cents. For the light version (1.5 percent fat content), you no longer pay 80 cents at the discounter, but 88 cents. That’s a price increase of 10 percent.

The price development at brand manufacturers such as Weihenstephan, Bärenmarke and Landliebe is similar. A litre of milk is now priced at about €1.49. Last week, the upper limit was still €1.29. The price has climbed by about 16 percent in the last few days.

A shopper walks round a supermarket in Neubiberg, Bavaria.

A shopper walks round a supermarket in Neubiberg, Bavaria. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

Sour cream (Saure Sahne)

Sour cream is also more expensive now – prices have climbed by around 20 percent across the board. Sour cream from Milsani (Aldi Süd), Ja (Rewe) or Milbona (Lidl) still cost 42 cents last week. The new price is now 55 cents – an increase of 12 cents.

The branded product from Andechser (Natur Bio-Sauerrahm) is available at Edeka and Rewe stores for 99 cents. Last week, the product cost 85 cents.

Mustard (Senf)

The medium hot mustard from Rewe’s own-brand – Ja – has been hiked up in price. The jar no longer costs 29 cents – instead it’s 49 cents. This represents a price increase of 60 percent within the past week. Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd, Penny, Lidl and Netto Marken-Discount also increased the price of their low-priced mustard own brands by about 20 cents.

READ ALSO: Will Germany see a mustard shortage?

Breadcrumbs (Paniermehl)

If you want to bread a schnitzel, you have to dig deeper into your pocket because the cost of breadcrumbs (as well as meat) is going up. 

Since last Thursday, the price of breadcrumbs has increased by 10 cents across the board. The cheapest product available is at discount supermarkets for 89 cents. The more expensive branded product is about €1.89.

Meat (Fleisch)

Rewe in Munich is charging €5.29 for a 400 gram pack of chicken schnitzel from its own brand Wilhelm Brandenburg. The week before, the price was €4.59. Edeka now charges €2.99 for its Bockwürstchen in a jar. Previously, the pack was available for €2.75.

Overall, consumers have had to pay more for meat in the frozen and refrigerated counters of discounters and supermarkets since last week. The price increases range from 40 cents to €1.60.

Discounter Aldi Nord, for example, no longer charges €5.99 for its own-brand bockwurst Gut Drei Eichen – it’s now €7.19.

How you can save at the supermarket

Many of us do it anyway, but now is the time to be searching out for special offers. You could also think about buying own brands more often. 

Pay attention to the best-before dates and only buy as much as you can and want to consume within a certain period of time. As a rule, consumers shouldn’t hoard items because it causes supply issues, and it can contribute to waste.

READ ALSO: Why are people in Germany clearing out supermarket shelves?

Brochures, which can be found either in paper form or digitally, can also be helpful. You can find them in shops, in weekly newspapers or in the Apple and Google app stores. You can also get a hold of vouchers and discount codes this way. 

In drugstore branches in Germany, voucher cards are often found on the shelf, which can also contribute to discounts. Plus, take advantage of online voucher offers to get a better price. Many retailers also use apps to attract customers. 

Don’t forget to keep a hold of your old bottles and claim back the Pfand (deposit). When you submit your empty bottles or cans, you get a receipt which you can use to either claim back the cash or to get money off your shopping. 

READ ALSO: Six essential tips on how to save money on your groceries

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MONEY

How German ministers want to protect online ticket purchases

Once a year, consumer rights ministers from Germany's federal and state governments gather for a joint conference. This year, improving online ticket sales and better data protection measures are on the agenda.

How German ministers want to protect online ticket purchases

North Rhine-Westphalia’s consumer protection minister Silke Gorißen (CDU) will present proposals for further consumer protections for online ticket sales at the consumer ministers conference (VMK) on Thursday and Friday. 

Gorißen is pushing to make online ticket sales more transparent and give consumers more rights to back out of purchases if they don’t have enough information. 

Under the proposals, consumers would receive more information before purchasing tickets, such as details on the number of tickets sold by each provider and the prices for different seat categories.

Currently, ticket prices are often only visible during the purchasing process. 

The ministers will also consider whether consumers should be granted a right of withdrawal when buying tickets online. 

READ ALSO: How Germany is making it easier for consumers to cancel contracts

“The process of buying tickets is becoming increasingly complex and confusing, often limited to very narrow time windows,” Gorißen told DPA ahead of the conference. “I expect providers to act more in the interest of consumers. The market power of large ticket portals should not result in unclear and non-transparent sales.”

More data protection online

According to DPA, Gorißen also wants users of telecomms services to be better protected when it comes to their personal data. 

NRW’s consumer minister believes providers of emails, chats, or telecommunications services should be required to put measures in place to detect malware that’s designed to steal personal information from users. This should be done at the EU level, Gorißen said. 

Moreover, Gorißen says there should be more information on online safety made available through a consumer hotline. 

“IT security responsibility should not solely depend on the digital competence of users,” the CDU culture minister explained. “Protection against cyberattacks must become a societal responsibility.”

READ ALSO: The German mobile companies with the best – and worst – coverage

The proposals are set to be voted on by consumer ministers on Friday. 

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