Food prices in Russia soared 8.2 percent in January 2021 compared to the same period last year. The country is almost eight times ahead of the European Union in this indicator (in the EU, food prices increased by 1.1 percent). This is stated on the Rosstat website.
Vegetables have risen in price the most over the year in Russia – by 17.5 percent (in the EU their value increased by 0.2 percent), fruits (by 13.5 percent) and sweets (sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and candy). The price of the latter increased by 13.7 percent. Bread rose in price by nine percent, and oils and fats – by 11. In the EU, consumer prices for fruits (3.3 percent) and bread (1.1 percent) rose most noticeably.
Earlier, the Bloomberg agency listed countries in which the rise in prices for food could lead to dissatisfaction from citizens and social tension. Russia was also included in them.
The analysts of the publication stressed that the Russians still have not forgotten the empty store shelves as a result of the collapse of the USSR and the prices for food that then rose. Another leap could further exacerbate the situation in society, they noted. The Kremlin did not agree with such conclusions.