There is very little left until 2025 and like every year we are preparing to celebrate with the classic New Year’s Eve dinnerfull of typical dishes such as cotechino and lentils but also smoked salmon and panettone, all accompanied by a sparkling wine. But how much does it cost us to bring these products to the table?
Altroconsumo made the rounds among the shelves of 12 supermarket chains, hypermarkets and discount stores in Milan and Rome to find out the prices of the typical foods on the New Year’s Eve menu and to understand if there has been an increase compared to last year. Here’s what he discovered.
Lentils, cotechino and salmon: very different prices for the same product
The first useful indication is that prices for traditional New Year’s Eve dinner products vary significantly from one shop to another. For example, dried lentils have a price that varies between €2.18 and €19.80 per kilo, a notable difference that can depend on the brand, quality and point of sale.
The cotechino, depending on whether it is whole or already sliced, can cost on average €11.30 per kilo, but if purchased ready to serve it can reach up to €18.28 per kilo.
A certain variability is also recorded for smoked salmon: the Norwegian one has an average price of €53 per kilo, while the Scottish one reaches €57 per kilo.
No significant increases compared to 2023
Good news for consumers is that, compared to last year, there are no significant increases for the monitored products. Panettone and pandoro have seen a small increase in price, around one euro per kilo, but the most significant increase concerns sparkling wine and champagne.
Prices for bottles of well-known brands such as Moët & Chandon have increased by around €10 compared to 2023, a change that seems to mainly affect high-end products.
Stop waste: organize a sustainable or vegan dinner
To avoid waste, try to use leftovers in a creative way, you can find some ideas here: How to reuse holiday leftovers: a selection of the best anti-waste recipes.
But, if you really want to make a difference, choose more sustainable products and respect the environment even during the holidays. You can offer your guests, for example, a vegan menu or alternatively at least some dishes without animal proteins.
