Pasta prices slightly reduced – turnover remains stable

Pasta is one of the most popular food products in Hungary. It ranks eleventh among the 90 categories measured by Nielsen, measured in value. Annual retail sales are above the HUF 26 billion threshold, with volume sales exceeding 52,000 tons. One kilogram of pasta cost HUF 509 on average, in December 2008-November 2009 – a 6-Forint decrease compared with the average price a year earlier! This is partly due to the growing demand for cheaper private label pastas: their share improved by 3 percent and hit 33 percent. We buy most of our pasta in discount stores and supermarkets (33-percent share). Four-egg pastas are the most popular, taking up more than half of both value and volume sales. The most popular packaging category is the 251-500-gram size.