A €17 Increase in Food Prices in Portugal Compared to Last Year
Eggs Lead the Rise in Food Prices in Portugal
Consumers in Portugal are now paying more than €2 for a pack of six eggs. Prices have risen by 81% in just three years.
According to monitoring by DECO PROteste, the price of a shopping basket in Portugal is currently €17 higher than last year. The Portuguese consumer protection organization, which began monitoring the prices of 63 essential goods, reported that at the beginning of this year, on January 1, the basket of essential products cost €5 less (2.12% less). A year ago, on August 28, 2024, it cost €16.54 less (7.36% less). In January 2022, consumers paid €53.47 less (28.48% less) for the exact same products.
Which Products Increased the Most?
Over the past year, between August 28, 2024, and August 27, 2025, the price of eggs rose the most: an increase of €0.60 (41%). For example, consumers in Portugal may now pay €2.06 for six eggs, compared to €1.47 a year ago.
Besides eggs, when comparing prices in the last week of August to the same period a year earlier, on August 28, 2024, the biggest percentage increases were seen in curly lettuce (+38%), broccoli (+33%), and beef for cooking (+28%).
Looking at the week from August 20 to 27, the products with the largest price hikes were fish fingers (+22%), frankfurter sausages (+13%), and onions (+10%). Compared to January 2022, the steepest increases were in beef for cooking (+92%), eggs (+81%), and oranges (+71%). Since the end of the VAT exemption, the basket has risen by €5.43.
Government Measures and VAT Exemption
To ease the burden on consumers and curb rising prices of essential goods, in March 2023 the then Prime Minister António Costa’s government reached an agreement with food retailers and the agricultural production sector, introducing a VAT exemption on a basket of over 40 food items between April 18, 2023, and January 4, 2024.
According to DECO PROteste, once this exemption ended on January 4, 2024, the basket of 41 VAT-free food items had risen by €5.43 (+3.82%) between then and August 27, 2025—from €141.97 to €147.40.
The products with the sharpest increases since the end of the VAT exemption were beef for cooking (+36%), eggs (+35%), and gilt-head bream (+34%).
Why Have Food Prices Risen So Much in the Past Three Years?
According to the consumer protection organization, the rise in essential food prices can be explained by several factors.
A major part of the increase is linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a key supplier of grains consumed in the EU (including Portugal). The war put pressure on the agri-food sector, which was already struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and drought. Limited supply of raw materials and higher production costs—especially for fertilizers and energy essential to agricultural and food production—drove prices up on international markets and, in turn, at consumer level for products such as meat, fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereals, and vegetable oils in 2022.
As for eggs, the explanation lies in the global crisis caused by avian influenza, which led to shortages, particularly in the United States. Since the outbreak began in 2022, more than 170 million birds have been culled there.
Both Portugal and the rest of Europe have been affected by this North American crisis, as demand has outstripped supply.
resource: euronews
