Supermarket Prices Keep Rising, Meat and Dairy Hit Consumers Hard in 2025
Grocery prices across the Netherlands are climbing sharply again, with meat and dairy leading the increases. New data confirms continued pressure on household budgets.
After a brief easing, food inflation is once again a major driver of overall price growth. In July 2025, food prices rose 4.7% year-on-year, up from 4.4% in June, while overall inflation dropped to 2.9%.
According to CBS, food, beverages, and tobacco remain among the fastest-moving categories in consumer prices.
Meat and Dairy Lead the Price Increase
Prices of meat and dairy are rising faster than other staples. AD reports that butter prices alone rose by more than 12% in just one year, with consumers now paying significantly more for staples like beef and milk.
Globally, The FAO Food Price Index hit 130.1 points in July 2025, the highest since February 2023. That is largely due to record-breaking meat and vegetable oil prices.
Causes: Supply Shocks, Climate, Regulations
Multiple factors are fueling the surge:
Supply chain disruptions, such as foot-and-mouth disease in livestock markets.
Climate-related crop failures are raising the cost of coffee, cocoa, and dairy inputs.
Rising energy and fertiliser prices are inflating production costs across the food chain.
Alternatives Could Alleviate Costs
Researchers say dependency on imported high-protein animal feed (soy, etc.), 96% of which comes from the U.S. and Brazil, is contributing to price volatility. Investing in locally produced alternative proteins (plant-based, cultivated, fermentation-derived) could mitigate costs and help stabilise food prices long-term.
Rabobank projects that food price inflation will stay elevated, likely near 5%, through the end of 2025, despite a potential easing thereafter.