As a result of the rising cost of living, thefts of essential food products are on the rise in supermarkets. “People are desperate, hiding cans of tuna and milk to eat themselves, or give to their children.”
Some supermarkets have already started to protect food with alarms, a practice that was more common in items with a high value, but now items such as frozen octopus or tuna cans are being 'protected'.
A report by Portuguese newspaper Espresso reveals that these robberies occur, in particular, in the urban centers of Lisbon and Porto and are carried out mainly by elderly people, or parents who want to take food to their children.
Foodstuffs suffered the most from the rise in prices due to the war in Ukraine. In the last month, the inflation rate of these products reached 16.9%, the highest value since July 1990.
Source Espresso
