Cost of Eating in Ukraine!

[Gotno Gizmo]

Today, in Lugansk, I bought minced beef in a regular supermarket. It cost me 46 UAH ($5.92 USD, £4.00GBP) per Kilogramme. This is much the same amount as I would have paid in in England. However, I am aware that wages in England are ten times or more the amount of Ukrainiain wages.

As minced beef is not a luxury product or delicacy, could someone explain to me:-
1. Why is the meat here so expensive proportionate to income?
2. Are the supermarkets or other suppliers taking an excessive profit?
3. How can lower earning Ukrainian workers afford a diet that I would take for granted?

Advice anyone!

[stepanstas]

Sadly thats how it is in Ukraine.

You pay European prices but earn domestic salaries. I feel the same way when I come to visit.

I don't know where the supermarket's meat comes from. If it all comes from one plant, they might be using Kyiv's prices.

I think for most people, bazaars are the source for meet. Cut out the middle man.

[Albatross]

1) Ukraine doesn't produce enough meat (particularly red meat) to satisfy internal consumption. So it's imported, which makes it expensive.
2) A big part of the profit goes to the "guys holding their hands out", that is to corrupt bureacrats.
3) A lot of people got their apartment "for free" after the collapse of the USSR. They pay a small fee to "ZHEK" for maintenance and they pay for utilities of course, but have low fixed costs. That way meat is still affordable to people with a job. Pensioners and other folks on a low fixed income don't get to eat meat often.

Enjoy your stay in Ukraine by the way!

[AkMike]

That's odd! We pay alot less for meat there than here. But we seldom pay for the meat to be ground either. Wedo shop the bazzar alot more than the super markets though. It's fun to see them whack off the chunk of meat that you want with an axe on a block of wood though.

[Gotno Gizmo]

AkMike says "It's fun to see them whack off the chunk of meat that you want with an axe on a block of wood though".
Yes, that is exactly my experience in the meat markets. As an Englishman, I'm disappointed to see these large lumps of flesh on meat counters. In England the meat is prepared into recognizable cuts that you can readily associate as meat being suitable for roasting, grilling, frying or stewing.
Here you just buy a lump of meat and take a chance!

[storyhill]

My experience is that meat is about 30% cheaper there than it is back in the states. So really that is very expensive for just regular Ukrainian folk. If you go to a market you can get it for a bit cheaper but not so much cheaper. If you live in a village many have their own meat source with a pig, chickens, or rabbits. My favorite is rabbit! The rabbits seem to be the most cost efficient because vegetation can be cut from common land to feed them and they breed....well... like rabbits! The cost of products vs wage is really screwed up for a lot of things there and I also have a hard time understanding it. I think some of it may have to do with the lack of transperancy and not really a free market with price fixing.

[Frontiersman]

Originally Posted by Gotno Gizmo

As minced beef is not a luxury product or delicacy, could someone explain to me:-
1. Why is the meat here so expensive proportionate to income?

Salary is/was never equal to income. Double accounting is the thing inherited from Tsarist Imperial Time. It practiced by Governments and followed by subjects and "citizens".

2. Are the supermarkets or other suppliers taking an excessive profit?

Belgian farmer sells milk for 20 cents a liter, consumers pay 50 cents a liter. Who takes excessive profit? Food processing companies. Same **** imported to Ukraine.

3. How can lower earning Ukrainian workers afford a diet that I would take for granted?

There is no such thing as "Ukrainian workers". There are workers in Ukraine. Those who follow life concepts of their Ukrainian forefathers do not work for Government or other people. Those who are workers in Ukraine do not care about healthy diet, they used to shrink themselves (sacrifice a lot) just to see a big things running since they enjoy to be a part of it.