Chocolate, coffee, and meat significantly more expensive in 2025, olive oil cheaper

Groceries in Belgian supermarkets became 3.83% more expensive last year, according to calculations by consumer organization Testaankoop. This is mainly due to sharp price increases for chocolate, coffee, and meat.

Failed harvests

On average, the Belgian shopping cart became 3.83% more expensive in 2025, but behind that overall figure, Testaankoop also sees some cautious declines alongside upward spikes. Chocolate, for example, has become extremely expensive: milk chocolate is now on average 33% more expensive than at the beginning of the year, dark chocolate 28%. In four years, the price has almost doubled. The causes: failed harvests due to bad weather conditions and diseases on the one hand, and rising demand on the other.

The same factors caused coffee prices to rise: ground coffee became 20% more expensive on average in 2025, and coffee pods even 28%. Meat became 12% more expensive. This applies in particular to beef: consumers now pay an average of 26 euros per kilogram for a steak in the supermarket, compared to 21.5 euros per kilogram a year ago. This is due to the bluetongue virus and IBR, a viral infection of the respiratory tract.

Small decreases

Nevertheless, a number of products also became cheaper last year. Shoppers now pay an average of 11.19 euros for 1 liter of private label olive oil, compared to 11.4 euros at the beginning of last year. That is still considerably more than in 2022, when 1 liter of olive oil cost 7.62 euros. 500 grams of private label spaghetti now costs an average of 0.87 euros, compared to 0.90 last year. At the beginning of 2022, it was 0.70. A kilo of potatoes now costs an average of 2.08 euros, compared to 10 cents more at the beginning of last year. In January 2022, a kilo of potatoes still cost 1.49 euros.

Testaankoop is not venturing to make predictions for 2026, as much depends on weather conditions and whether or not diseases break out among plants or animals.