De Nederlandsche Bank: Food delivery driving Dutch inflation

An analysis by the Dutch central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), reveals that food delivery and takeaway services have become a significant driver of inflation in the Netherlands. Household spending in this sector has nearly doubled over the last decade, rising from approximately 1.6 percent of total household expenditure in 2015 to over 3 percent today.

Economists attribute this shift in consumer habits to the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the use of delivery platforms, and the rise of remote work, which increased demand for convenient lunch options.

Before 2020, food delivery contributed less than 0.1 percentage points to annual inflation. However, due to rising labor, energy, and wholesale food costs being passed on to consumers, the sector's contribution reached 0.35 percentage points in 2023. While this impact has recently slowed to 0.13 percentage points, the DNB notes that because delivery now occupies a larger share of household budgets, future price fluctuations in this sector will have a more pronounced effect on the Dutch consumer price index than in previous years.