Despite wage increases, including minimum wage hikes, and a recent slowdown in inflation, Croatian consumers remain concerned about the rising cost of essential goods, with bread prices

sparking the most frustration.

Bread, a staple food consumed daily, weighs heavily on household budgets. Across Croatia, citizens are feeling the financial strain, regardless of the type—whether white, wholemeal, or dark.

“It’s especially hard on pensioners,” said Ika Kurtović from Rijeka to HRT, voicing concerns shared by many. “The price of bread has climbed unreasonably high. It may look cheap, but the markup is simply too large.”

Comparing bread costs within Europe reveals that Croatian consumers pay, on average, 15% more than the European standard. Denmark tops the list with the highest prices, while Bulgaria offers the lowest. According to Croatian wheat producers, this price increase is hard to justify.

"Wheat prices have actually decreased compared to last year, and energy costs are significantly lower. Despite this, bread prices have doubled,” remarked Mato Brlošić from the Croatian Agricultural Chamber. “The final players in the supply chain must reduce their margins, and government intervention may be necessary."

Financial reports from Croatian bread producers indicate substantial improvements over their 2022 results. However, these gains don’t entirely stem from regular business practices. “We saw that the company with the largest earnings posted a 6.7% profit increase from last year, which aligns with the sector’s realistic growth,” said Nada Barišić from the Grain Association.

Although Croatia produces enough wheat to meet domestic demand, much of it is exported, while significant amounts of frozen bread and pastries are imported. In a market economy, products go to buyers willing to pay more.

“Many large EU countries, and others globally, have processing capacities to handle all their wheat, including what Croatia produces,” notes Željko Jukić from the Faculty of Agriculture’s Institute of Special Plant Production at the University of Zagreb.

With an average consumption of about 45 kilograms of bread and pastries per person each year, Croatians feel the pinch as bread prices rise, especially those on tighter budgets. Photo by Başak, Wikimedia commons.