“All Portuguese people already know that the so-called “food basket”, with essential food goods, is now much more expensive than in 2022 and even more so in relation to 2021.
The cost is more than 96.44 euros –, so in the Autonomous Region of Madeira the cost is certainly over 100 euros and, for those who earn the regional minimum wage, the time has come to do the math very well and, unfortunately, stop consuming some of the products that integrate it.
Not all Madeirans and Porto Santo people can keep up with and support the almost daily rises of some primary consumer goods”, begins by explaining NÓS, Cidadãos in a statement to the newsrooms.
“This is a fact! The justification for the increase is now the war in Ukraine and the increase in production costs. But, as we know, this is not the case! WE Citizens! remember that some of the products in the basket are fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice, olive oil, oil, eggs, sugar, milk, bread and flour. See the example of something that is very Portuguese, produced “inside” and that costs much more today than at the end of 2022. We are obviously talking about olive oil. Russia and Ukraine?
In mainland Portugal, the ASAE – Food and Economic Security Authority – has been inspecting several commercial areas and, last week, opened more than a dozen criminal proceedings for speculation, in products such as cheese, cereals, meat and fruit. In some cases the gross profit margin of ‘retailers’ exceeded 40% and 50% in some products, as is the example of onions, Up to 30%. The profit in white sugar, cooking oil and sea bream, produced – and so advertised – in Madeira, stands out, while up to 40% appears canned tuna and olive oil, and up to 50%, are eggs, oranges, carrots and pork chops. Half a dozen eggs in Madeira today cost more than one and a half euros, while in Lisbon it is possible to buy them for a much lower price.
There are several administrative offenses identified and formalized due to lack of displaying prices, flaws in scales and hygiene requirements, something that is also very familiar to us. This week, elements of NÓS, Cidadãos!, found some food products in a certain shopping area in Funchal with 3 different prices marked simultaneously, two of them referring to a promotion that had already ended. Well, the practice of the crime of speculation is well known and the current situation favors it!
Consumers are now enduring large price increases for essential goods that producers say they are not applying when they sell products to so-called middlemen.
Consumers are now enduring large price increases for essential goods that producers say they are not applying when they sell products to so-called middlemen. How is all this understandable?
Someone is missing the truth and making a lot of money with this whole situation. Others are not doing their duty, which is to supervise! In the face of all this, the NÓS, Cidadãos! asks the regional authorities to defend Madeiran and Porto-Santense consumers, that is, calls on the Regional Government to promote more inspection actions with the super and hypermarkets in RAM. The time has come for the Regional Government to defend the interests of regional consumers and to transmit a clear message to operators operating in the market about their social responsibility!