Is bread in Tenerife expensive?

One of the foodstuffs that has increased in price most notably in the last year in the Canary Islands, is the bread. Currently, many supermarkets are selling a large barra de pan (230-250 gm baguette) for 45 cents (about 35 pence), which still seems like very good value to me, but it is relative, both to the previous prices and to the wages and purchasing power of the Canarian family.

The Canary Islands achieved a top place in September, becoming the most inflationary region in Spain in the last year, where prices rose by 5.4%, compared to 4.5% nationally. Meanwhile, the price of bread in the islands, shot up by 14.5%, almost double the national average increase of 8.6%.

So the nice folk of Lo que pasa en Tenerife went out onto the streets of Santa Cruz on Friday, October 17th and reported back various bread prices:

• Almost coinciding with the publication of the September figures, Mercadona reduced the price of their bread from 52 to 45 cents.
• French owned hypermarket, Carrefour, also sells their bread at 45 cents.
• The best price they found was at Alcampo, selling for 43 cents.
• The traditional bakeries were the most expensive, selling for between 65 and 70 cents in those they visited in Santa Cruz, but as they point out, the quality is usually that much higher; often more natural and less mass produced. (If you're looking for nice bread in Santa Cruz, I recommend the bread from the stall in the Nuestra Señora de África municipal market.)
• Supercor, which belongs to El Corte Inglés, priced their bread at 66 cents.
• Last Friday, the least economical was Hiperdino, ironically the one that advertises on the tele all the time saying "Siempre los mejores precios de canarias" (Always the best prices in the Canaries), at 85 cents.

And, of course, the best thing about the bread in Tenerife is the fact that you can still have it delivered daily to your door, fresh and warm and so natural and devoid of nasty chemicals that it bearly lasts until lunch time.

Now that's something you cannot buy at any price in Britain.

¿Has notado la subida del pan?

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 Jallen Dragonhide wrote (on October 21, 2008 12:58 PM)  

I definitely miss the bread on Tenerife.. I love seeing the bread hang on the doorknobs of all the houses along the bread route.. That is something I have never seen anywhere else.

In comparison, we spend about 2 dollars for our flimsy tasteless preservative-ful sliced bread.. I cannot even get easy access to a decent baguette for more than 25 miles from my house. NOW that's sad :(

 Pamela Heywood wrote (on October 22, 2008 1:21 AM)  

You are right Tim, that is really sad and that is exactly what I'm seeing happen in the UK too.

Baguettes in our local shop in Blighty: they are 460 gm, so double the weight and cost £1.29 (1.66 euros / $2.20) - equivalent to 83 euro cents for the 230 gm size. They still look "fabricated" and like they probably have preservatives in, but I've not seen anything better.

Part of me is absolutely crying out to the population of Tenerife, begging them to see what they've got and appreciate it before it's gone and all they can buy is the same junk we have in the US an the UK.