Grocery prices in Hong Kong supermarkets increased by about two percent overall between July 2022 and June last year, with sweets, biscuits and eggs seeing the biggest jumps, the Consumer Council said on Monday.

The watchdog said it checked the prices of 300 items sold in ParknShop, Wellcome and Aeon stores.

Chocolate and sweets saw the biggest increases among the 54 product groups surveyed, with a rise of almost 24 percent.

Biscuits weren't far behind with a 12 percent rise, and eggs became 10 percent more expensive.

The council said adverse weather conditions may have affected cocoa production, while avian influenza outbreaks in Japan, the United States and other countries could have affected egg production, leading to price hikes.

Prices of canned and staple foods decreased slightly, as did those for cheese. Prices of frozen food, which was popular during the pandemic, barely changed.

“The aggregate average price of a basket of 300 items was up by 1.9 percent over 2022,” said Victor Lam, chairman of the council's publicity and community relations committee.

“The council recommends consumers to make good use of the council’s Online Price Watch to compare prices across different supermarkets and retailers before shopping.”

In response to the report, ParknShop, Wellcome and Aeon acknowledged the importance of keeping prices stable.

They said they were committed to finding products that were of good quality and value for money for their customers.

The firms added that they would continue to offer various discounts to consumers.

The Hong Kong Suppliers Association, meanwhile, pointed to the war between Russia and Ukraine as a major factor affecting supply chains, saying this had caused some price increases.
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Last updated: 2024-04-15 HKT 16:23