Statistics show that the price of many popular Russian foods has increased by approximately 2% over the course of the year.
Recent research by the Association of Retail Companies (AKORT) showed that the ingredients in the popular Russian Olivier salad have increased by an average of 2% over the course of the year.
Currently, four servings of this salad cost approximately 360 rubles in the store. Researchers selected the cheapest available options for all ingredients in this salad.
The fact that the Olivier index has remained virtually unchanged over the course of the year is largely due to the current decline in vegetable prices.
However, seasonality plays a role. Therefore, if this study had been conducted in the spring, the figures could have been quite different, experts emphasize.
For example, we see that potatoes have fallen in price by 30% over the course of the year, and onions and carrots by 20%. Furthermore, the price of chicken eggs and mayonnaise has fallen by 15%.
At the same time, several ingredients in the Olivier salad have shown the opposite trend.
Specifically, canned peas have increased in price by 20%, while pickled cucumbers have increased by 15%.
As for cooked sausage, the most expensive component of this salad, its price has remained virtually unchanged, rising by only 2%.
However, Rosstat shares completely different statistics.
According to it, Olivier salad has increased in price by 41% over the year, with four servings costing 620 rubles.
The only difference is that AKORT based its calculations on the minimum prices for each product, which were determined by comparing their prices at several different retail outlets.
Rosstat, however, focused on the average price rather than the minimum, which is more logical, since in most cases, Russians don’t buy goods at the lowest price, but rather accept the one offered at the nearest store.
Rosstat emphasizes that the difference between the different calculation methods is very significant. For example, the minimum price for 300 grams of cooked sausage is approximately 80 rubles, while the average is approximately 160 rubles.
Therefore, it can be concluded that, in reality, the price of «Olivier» salad has increased significantly over the course of the year, and real food inflation for many items is significantly higher than the overall inflation rate, analysts believe.
The price increase occurs despite the government and retailers working together to contain food inflation as much as possible.
