Inflation hits home

Half of the butter is now only bought on promotion

The proportion of butter is particularly high at just under 50 percent.

(Bild: Kronen Zeitung)

Bargain alert in the supermarket! Austrians are increasingly turning to discounted food - like never before. According to the latest RollAMA study, almost a third of all food was bought on offer in 2024. Animal products in particular, such as butter, meat and poultry, were often discounted.

Retailers are not the only ones controlling discounts with promotions on certain products. Customers themselves are now also deciding more often what they want to buy at a discount - thanks to the self-adhesive 25 percent discount stickers that Billa and Spar keep offering.

"Around a third of all fresh produce in food retail is bought on promotion," says AMA Marketing Managing Director Christina Mutenthaler-Sipek. However, this is a double-edged sword. Consumers "immediately recognize the price, but they forget the value of the food - the daily work of our farmers." There is a danger that Austrians buy far too much food on sale that they don't eat afterwards and throw away. Mutenthaler-Sipek would therefore like to "draw attention to food waste." If you consciously only buy what you actually use, you can ultimately save a lot.

Experts Christina Mutenthaler-Sipek (left) and Micaela Schantl from the AMA have analyzed what food Austrians buy in the supermarket.

(Bild: AMA-Marketing)

Half of the butter "in action"
In fact, the proportion of special offers has exploded: In the case of butter, discounted products already account for almost 50 percent of expenditure. The figure for meat and poultry is 45.5 percent, and 34.7 percent for sausage and ham (see chart). This is also due to the fact that consumers particularly like to use the discount sticker for higher-priced products such as meat and sausage. However, the proportion of fruit and vegetables on special offer is now also considerable and stands at 30.1% for fresh fruit, for example.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

In general, Austrians are once again placing more value on freshness: the amount of food purchased increased by 2.1% in 2024, with spending rising by 3.4% to EUR 9.8 billion. Fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and dairy products are booming, while ready meals are stagnating. "It is clear that the importance of food is increasing in uncertain times," says Mutenthaler-Sipek. Interestingly, despite the hype surrounding plant-based alternatives, the ratio between animal and plant-based products remains stable. Just under 40 percent of expenditure is accounted for by plant-based foods.

Prices are stabilizing - but not everywhere
After the extreme price fluctuations of previous years, food prices largely stabilized in 2024. On average, prices only rose by 1.3%. Some products such as eggs, yogurt and fresh vegetables became more expensive because demand increased. Organic products are also continuing to gain in popularity, especially in cheaper categories such as milk. However, organic meat remains a luxury good with a premium of 81.6 percent over conventional meat.

Some products such as eggs, yoghurt and fresh vegetables became more expensive as demand increased.

(Bild: Associated Press)

Meat market: pork and beef dominate
Pork and beef remain the undisputed leaders on the meat and sausage shelves. Although chicken is gaining in importance, 80% of meat purchased still comes from pork and beef - partly because minced meat and sausage products mainly contain pork.

In terms of vegetables, peppers saw the strongest growth in 2024 with a 14% increase in volume, followed by mushrooms (+9%). Nevertheless, tomatoes remain the most popular vegetable.

Brown bread and rolls: The bread classics win out
When it comes to bread, brown bread remains the favorite with 32 percent, closely followed by toast (27 percent). And there is no competition for rolls: they account for 38 percent of all small baked goods.

There is a boom in plant-based milk alternatives made from regional cereals: the proportion of cereals as a base has risen from 23 to 55 percent. Mutenthaler-Sipek: "This opens up new opportunities for regional agriculture."