The main impression of the research conducted by Danas journalists in 12 cities is that the prices of basic meat products are such that the question of how much the average family can afford this type of food in their diet is really big.
Let’s not forget, meat is an important source of biologically valuable proteins, iron, zinc, copper and vitamin B12. All the listed ingredients are missing from foods of plant origin. Meat also contains a lot of phosphorus, so it is combined with foods that contain less of this mineral (say with vegetables) and thus enables better absorption of iron and other minerals and trace elements.
The minimum monthly basket for a family of three, when it comes to meat and meat products. Recall, contains 200 grams of tea sausage, 300 grams of bacon, 300 grams of liver pate, 200 grams of hot dogs, half a kilogram of pork sausage and mixed meat, 900 grams of mortadella…
Of the monthly meat intake, only 400 grams of boneless beef, 400 grams of pork, 1.8 kilograms of chicken, 2.8 kilograms of beef liver, and 200 grams of dried pork ribs are on the list.
If you look at the current meat prices in Novi Sad, Jagodina, Vranje, Novi Pazar, Nis, Subotica, Majdanpek, Sabac, Kragujevac, Zajecar, Uzice and Zrenjanin, the question is, however, how many households can provide these minimum quantities, and they are already announced new price increases.
When it comes to Novi Sad, there the reporters could notice a drastic increase in the price of chicken.
The increase in food prices did not bypass the citizens of Novi Sad who, as the butchers in the butchers told us, “buy less and less for the same money”.
So, when it comes to pork, a kilo of leg or boneless shoulder is bought for 590 dinars, while the price of fillet is around 770, and bacon is around 500 dinars, for the same amount. It is one of the best-selling items, and its price has undergone the least changes in the previous period. Butchers say that since the end of last year, pork has risen in price by about 50 dinars on average.
The price of beef per kilogram is around 1000 dinars, which is more or less a dinar, while for a higher quality piece of meat, ie steak, as much as 2,500 dinars must be set aside. Butchers told us that this type of meat has risen in price by about 150 dinars in the last two months.
Veal is even more expensive. For a kilogram of thigh, shoulder or boneless neck, about 1450 dinars will “disappear” from the wallet. A slightly cheaper variant is the veal cutlet, whose price is around 1160 dinars, per kilogram.
In the last few months, chicken prices have risen dramatically. In Novi Sad butchers, a whole chicken, per kilogram, is about 360 dinars. A cheaper option is to take chicken wings for 250 dinars. White meat with bones is twice as expensive, for which you have to pay 500 dinars, and chicken fillet is 200 dinars more expensive than that. Batak and karabatak with bones is a little more than 400 dinars.
Unformed, or shaped into kebabs or burgers, the price of grilled meat is slightly less than 700 dinars in Novi Sad butchers, while turkey, which you can’t find in all butchers in the city, is around 1160 dinars per kilogram of fillet. Pork is 530 dinars, and for a kilo of lamb you will need one “red”.
The price of minced meat, whether beef or pork, ranges the same as the price per piece, as well as which part you want to grind. For mixed minced meat, half and half, you need about 790 dinars.
The price of lard has jumped drastically. The butchers told us that this highly sought-after item was 40 dinars cheaper until three months ago. Today it costs about 170-180 dinars per kilogram, Nova reports.
