Market, vegetables, cauliflower – illustrative photo.
Prague – More than half of Czechs bought less fresh vegetables and fruit this winter than in previous years, and most went to supermarkets or hypermarkets for them. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, two-thirds of people do not change their habits in winter and buy the same ones all the time. Among the vegetables, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers and garlic are the most popular, and from fruits people buy mainly bananas, tangerines, lemons, apples and oranges in the winter. It emerged from a survey conducted by the SC&C agency in early March among nearly 2,300 respondents.
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58 percent of people declared a lower purchase of vegetables this winter compared to previous years. 57 percent of respondents said the same about fruit. But some do not rely only on purchases, and according to the agency's findings, two fifths of people grow some types of fruit and vegetables themselves, approximately a quarter get them from relatives. in the Czech Republic. However, the South Moravian region leads, where 48 percent of those surveyed grow some fruit or vegetable at home. More often, people grow something seasonal and buy out-of-season or exotic fruit or vegetables in supermarkets. The most popular fruit, which is most often grown, is the apple. From vegetables carrots, tomatoes and potatoes are popular,” the survey authors said.
At the same time, they reminded that canning is close to the Czechs. Only about a fifth of people do not use any method of food preservation such as canning, drying or freezing. In contrast, 60 percent of people preserve fruit and vegetables in some way, with one in three doing it not only for themselves but also for relatives. Most often, people make marmalades and jams, pickle cucumbers and freeze fruit.
Food prices in the Czech Republic have been rising for a long time, and according to the Czech Statistical Office, the price of vegetables for agricultural producers increased by 39.1 percent year-on-year in January. Fruit prices fell by 7.4 percent compared to last January. According to the Food Chamber, however, due to the ever-increasing costs of production and processing enterprises, there is currently no room for reducing food prices. The president of the chamber, Dana Večeřová, stated at the end of February that the costs of products for companies increased by 50 to 80 percent year-on-year, and companies had no room to reflect this in prices. This year, food prices could still rise slightly and gradually stabilize in the second half of the year, the chamber said.
