Why bread in Croatia is 15% more expensive than European average

Bread in Croatia is more expensive than European average

Despite rising wages, including minimum wages, and a recent slowdown in inflation, consumers in Croatia continue to express frustration over high prices.

Staple foods, which are consumed daily and place a significant strain on household budgets, are a particular concern—especially bread.

Whether it’s white, wholemeal, or dark, bread has become too expensive for many citizens.

“It’s too costly, especially for pensioners,” Ika Kurtović from Rijeka told HRT.

“The price of bread has gone up unreasonably high. It might seem cheap at a glance, but the markup is just too big,” another commented.

Comparing bread prices in Croatia to those across Europe reveals that bread is, on average, 15% more expensive in Croatia.

While Denmark has the highest bread prices in Europe, Bulgaria offers the lowest. Wheat producers argue that there is little reason for such high prices in Croatia.

“When we look at wheat, it has fallen in price compared to last year, and energy costs are also much lower than before. So, everything has gone down, yet bread prices have increased twice.

It’s clear that the final players in the supply chain need to reduce their margins significantly, and I believe the government should step in to address this,” Mato Brlošić from the Croatian Agricultural Chamber told HRT.

Financial reports from bread-producing companies show substantial improvements over their 2022 results.

“However, these profits are clearly not from regular business operations. We’ve noticed that the company with the highest earnings saw a 6.7% profit increase from last year, which we consider a realistic figure for the sector overall,” explains Nada Barišić from the Grain Association.

Croatia produces enough wheat to meet domestic demand, but much of it is exported while large amounts of frozen bread and pastries are imported. In a market economy, the buyer willing to pay more secures the product.

“Large EU countries—and globally as well—have industries capable of processing all their wheat, including the quantities found in Croatia,” says Željko Jukić from the Institute of Special Plant Production at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb.

On average, Croatians consume around 45 kilograms of bread and pastries per person each year. As a staple food, the high price of bread hits particularly hard for those with limited budgets.