Reports | 25 05 2020
I has become increasingly difficult to make a selection of food based on quality. The increasingly higher prices added to poor health controls and the difficulty in finding quality foods, limits citizens choice to only lesser quality foods.
Any observer of vegetable prices, for example, will notice that they doubled in all regions, even the more popular ones. Shopowners justify this increase by the difficulty of transportation to market due to the difficult security situation, the high transportation costs, in addition to increasing fuel prices.
Another reason for the high prices is the importation of vegetables from abroad, due to the decline in local crop production.
Marwan, a Damascus grocery owner, explains that securing vegetables, their transportation fees, and the difficulty in securing their arrival—particularly in besieged areas—costs times more than it used to in the past.
He adds: "Over and above, people complain about the price, failing to realize the problems we faced to get these goods to the customer."
Ayman, a Damascus resident, has his own reservations regarding the health and safety of foods. He gives an example: Some shops sell a kilo of Labneh Yoghurt at 200 [Syrian] Pounds. He elaborates: "Everyone knows that Labneh is not made under correct health conditions. Either starch or Lead Carbonates are added, yet citizens buy this Labneh as it is cheaper than others."
Another serious health hazard results from meat storage. With frequent power outages, meat is more susceptible to rotting, particularly frozen meat.
This equally applies to other foods, particularly canned foods sold in grocery stores. Not only are they plagued with higher prices, but also the end of their shelf life, due to being stockpiled for several months on end in traders' warehouses, only to be put on the market much later, and at double their prices.