EU Consumers Expect Faster Grocery Price Increases in 2026 (EU: EUR, SP: EUR)

EU consumers expect grocery price increases to outpace overall inflation in 2026, per ING surveys of Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Romania (about 1,000 respondents each). In 2025, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 3.3% versus an overall inflation of 2.5%, with 58% of respondents expecting prices to rise more rapidly over the next 12 months (vs. 14% who disagree). ECB projections indicate eurozone food inflation will ease, stabilize slightly above 2% by late 2026, and outpace general inflation. Pessimism about purchasing power remains high: 39% expect it to decline (vs. 29% who expect gains). Spain is an exception, with 52% expecting gains in purchasing power and 18% anticipating no improvement. Higher food inflation tends to coincide with a larger share of household budgets spent on food,加重 pressure in Eastern Europe and Balkans where food inflation was 6.8% in 2025 and food accounted for 23.1% of spending.