ÖVP Economics Minister Martin Kocher is not opposed to talking to the food trade about their pricing. However, he does not see the industry as a price driver.
He currently sees no indications that the competition in this area is too weak, he said in an interview with “Standard”. In general, the increase in food prices in Austria was below average compared to Europe in the previous year.
In general, it is difficult to speak of “unjustified price increases” in a market economy. “When someone buys the products that have become expensive, there is a demand for them,” said the minister, but who also conceded “that food is a specific category and you have to make sure that people can afford it, especially staple foods.”
He rejects the term “greed inflation” as a “combat term in the political debate”. Price increases for furniture, tourism and leisure services and new cars are responsible for the fact that inflation is significantly higher than in Germany.
“If you factor out these three product categories, there is practically no difference to Germany,” says Kocher. This also shows that food prices play a minor role in the difference in inflation.
