Russian consumers are significantly substituting fundamental staples for once-affordable veggies in the middle of surgingfood prices and shrinking household budgets.The most striking example is potatoes, a longtime dietary cornerstone in Russia, whose average retail pricerose by 173% year-over-year by the end of May, the steepest yearly boost in the past 23 years.In action, consumption of potatoes fell by 8% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the very same period last year, according to an analysis by the Center for Development at the Higher School of Economics.Bread sales rose 6% in the exact same period, pasta sales increased by 5% and grain purchases climbed 3%, the pro-Kremlin paper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported, pointing out retail data.Svetlana Misikhina, deputy director of the Center for Development at Moscows Higher School of Economics, estimated that the cost of potatoes has declined by almost 45% over the previous year.Other key items are showing comparable trends: the typical price of onions rose 41% year over year, while butter ended up being 34% more costly.
As a result, the cost of onions and butter fell by 17% and 15%, respectively.By contrast, the affordability of items like grains and pasta has actually enhanced by 12 and 14%, respectively, reflecting both reasonably steady costs and increased customer demand, Misikhina said.Despite main attempts to frame this dietary shift as a choice for higher-quality foods, the information paints a picture of financial strain.According to state data agency Rosstat, average food costs in the first four months of 2025 were 12% higher than during the exact same duration last year, with vegetables revealing the most dramatic increases.By May, the typical market price for potatoes reached 84.7 rubles per kilogram.
Onions jumped to 72.3 rubles (an 87.2% increase), cabbage increased to 75.2 rubles (up 56.8%) and beets saw a more modest 11.9% boost.
Even tomatoes edged up by 1.2%.
On June 11, the Industry and Trade Ministryproposedstate cost controls for the most sought-after vegetables.The plan calls for long-term contracts between suppliers and sellers that would consist of fixed rates varieties for veggies in the so-called borscht index, a recommendation to the components of the standard Russian soup which include potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions and beets.While customer need for food stays the only sector of the customer market showing constant growth, other sectors have stalled.The Russian Academy of Sciences Institute for Economic Forecasting reported that sales of non-food items including cars and trucks, electronics, fridges and washing devices have actually flattened.
Overall, retail turnover growth slowed to 3.2% in the first quarter of 2025.