Spiralling costs
INFLATION and the rising costs of virtually everything, much due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, is certainly hitting us all… utilities, petrol, food - I can’t think of anything that has come down in price, and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down either.
Everyone is having to tighten their belts and/or change habits. Washing machines are relegated to weekend use, dishwashers go on after midnight, car journeys are planned and eating out is more of an occasional treat for many now.
Last year a litre bottle of sunflower oil was under a euro – this week it hit €3.20 and has been rationed in most supermarkets here for some time. Likewise, it was announced this week UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose have followed suit and have limited sales to two or three units per customer to ensure there is enough to go round… they don’t want to see the toilet roll fiasco repeated!
This will evidently have a serious effect on restaurants and undoubtedly, prices will have to go up to cover overheads. Fish and chips and Chinese restaurants, which tend to fry a lot, are especially affected.
The shortage will also affect the production of hundreds of foods including crisps, biscuits, mayonnaise and many food manufacturers have been forced to change their recipes. The situation is highly unlikely to change any time soon, and retailers will look to other oils to plug the gap.
Ukraine normally exports tens of millions of tonnes of wheat and other grains, which is used in food production and animal feed. Shortages and higher prices will affect everything from obvious things such as bread and pasta but also chicken and butter. Even salad ingredients such as lettuce and tomatoes have shot up as they are grown in greenhouses at this time of the year and the soaring cost of energy to provide heat makes it unviable.
I read that McDonalds are reducing the number of slices of tomatoes in their Big Macs and quarter pounder, as they can’t source enough. Many visit the local weekly market to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, which is generally cheaper than the supermarket. Pre-pandemic you could select your own but now the stall holder selects it for you, but this may not be the case in other towns. I used to love going and choosing my own bits and would often be offered a taste of the seasonal fruits – melon, cherries, strawberries… try before you buy and it worked, as I would frequently end up with an extra bag or two.
In the surrounding area, there are plenty of fields with oranges, lemons and nisperos growing but I have noticed that the fruits are often left unpicked.
This I understand is because the cost of employing people to pick them outweighs what the co-ops or stores will pay the farmers.
In the UK there was the opportunity to PYO – 'pick your own' and I don't understand why they don't do something similar here. I specifically remember going strawberry picking once in Buckinghamshire and yes, you initially eat every other one. However, after say a dozen you've had enough and put the rest in the container. Surely, it would at least stop fruit being wasted and just rotting after all the hard work of planting, fertilising and irrigating.
Although with the current weather not an issue, in the hot summer months, yes, they will come, switching on the air-con units will be a difficult considered choice and even more so for business owners as it is a 'hidden cost' – well to the customer at least.
We all like to seek sanctuary in a cool, air-conditioned restaurant or bar in the height of summer (presently we can only try to imagine that blistering sunshine) and this will be an extra burden for many establishments with the surging energy prices. But they will have little option and something that we as customers must bear in mind if prices are increased it will be out of necessity rather than greed.
I am curious to know whether the neon lights on Calle Gerona and around the nightlife in the Rincón are low energy ones otherwise they will need to sell a fair few beers!
I wonder how those who have electric cars are managing – us fuel users at least have a temporary reprieve until the end of June - unless extended as the government introduced a cut in the price of petrol and diesel by 20 cents per litre to lessen the economic impact of spiralling costs. They are financing 15 cents whilst the oil companies – namely Repsol, Cepsa and BP, will cover the remaining 5 cents.
If this situation has taught us anything, it's to be less wasteful and more conscientious of our lifestyle… maybe not such a bad thing really.