After a double-digit price increase in the previous year, dairies and the trade have recently lowered prices again. By the summer, butter will probably become slightly cheaper again because the costs for packaging material, etc. for milk processors have fallen. Thanks to promotions, people are now buying diligently.
Like white gold in individual supermarkets, butter packs were temporarily protected against theft with electronic security devices. Reason: Consumers had to pay almost a fifth more last year than in 2021 for the toppings on the breakfast sandwich. But lately prices have been falling again. “We have reduced our sales price to retailers by about 6%, you now pay less than two euros in the entry-level range and less than three euros for branded butter,” confirms Berglandmilch boss Josef Braunshofer.
This is possible because the costs for packaging material, etc. have fallen somewhat. Because the dairies haven’t made much from inflation. The milk price for the farmers was increased several times to keep them afloat. In December it was almost 60 cents/kilo, an increase of 35%. And since there are 20 kilos of milk in a kilo of butter, it “just multiplies instantly”.
NÖM board member Alfred Berger reduced the same amount, “and by the summer we can go even further down, also, for example, B. with mountain cheese or expensive yoghurt, in which a lot of milk flows.”
This noticeably increases demand, which has recently declined. Consumers turned to private label instead of premium butter. After all, margarine was not a real alternative because of the high prices for vegetable fats.
In general, our long-term consumption has increased from less than 5 kg to about 5.5 kg (see graph). A household spends about € 26 per month on butter, milk and yoghurt – with the highest quality, emphasizes Andreas Gasteiger , manager of SalzburgMilch (number 3 in Austria). “On average, our farmers only have 18 cows in their stables, we have 14 different types of milk and we are Europe’s number 1 for hay milk. Consumers appreciate that, even though they are price sensitive. That way we were able to maintain our brand share.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
