COPENHAGEN: In 2015, the price level of a comparable basket of food and non-alcoholic beverages across the European Union (EU) was more than twice as high in the most expensive member state than in the cheapest one, official figures showed Wednesday.
Price levels of food varied substantially in the 28-member bloc in 2015, ranging from 63 percent of the EU average in Poland to 145 percent in Denmark in 2015, Eurostat, EU’s statistical office said.
Following Denmark, the EU countries who had the highest price level for food and non-alcoholic beverages in 2015 were Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Finland and Luxembourg.
At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest price levels were observed in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The Eurostat results covered the survey on food, beverage and tobacco prices carried out in 2015 in 38 participating countries.
For bread and cereals, price levels ranged from 53 percent of the EU average in Romania to 162 percent in Denmark; for meat from 54 percent in Poland to 137 percent in Denmark; and for milk, cheese and eggs from 65 percent in Poland to 140 percent in Cyprus.
At the same time, the price levels for alcoholic beverages ranged from one to more than two and a half.
The lowest price levels were registered in Bulgaria, 64 percent of the EU average, followed by Romania and Hungary. The highest prices for alcoholic beverages were registered in Ireland, Finland and the United Kingdom.
For tobacco, the price levels were almost four times higher in the most expensive EU countries than in the cheapest. The lowest price levels were observed in Bulgaria, Croatia and Lithuania, and the highest in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
