East Europeans count their pennies for Christmas as food costs soar

TISZAESZLAR, Hungary – Consumers in Eastern Europe are saving up to put their favorite carp and pork dishes on the table for Christmas as food price inflation, especially in Hungary and the Baltics, outpaces that in the wider European Union.

Food prices in Hungary were a staggering 45.2 percent higher in October than a year earlier, Eurostat data shows, with 10 countries in the EU’s east facing food price inflation of more than 20 percent. The cost of food was 33.3 percent higher in Lithuania and up 30 percent in Latvia compared to October 2021.

And while there are signs headline inflation may be peaking in some countries, food prices are still rising strongly, adding to a cost…

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