Cheaper groceries may not last as energy costs feed through

De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) says higher energy prices work through to other products, such as food, with a delay. That explains why some groceries have become cheaper while inflation has been rising in recent months, DNB says.

For shoppers, the central bank says the present price drop is therefore no guarantee of permanently cheaper groceries. Food was on average cheaper in the past three months than a year earlier.

DNB says the negative food inflation, meaning falling food prices, comes from lower prices earlier in the supply chain. DNB says harvests in Europe were generally good last year, which pushed down agricultural prices. Those lower prices reach supermarket shelves with a delay because long-term contracts are often used, the bank says.

Overall consumer prices were 3.7% higher in October 2026 than a year earlier, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures show. That is up from 3.4% in September and 3.1% in October 2025, and from a low of 2.4% in January and February.

Inflation has climbed from 2.4% in February to 3.7% in October

% change on a year earlier · Oct 2025–Oct 2026

Inflation has climbed from 2.4% in February to 3.7% in October (% change on a year earlier). From 3.1 in Oct 2025 to 3.7 in Oct 2026; highest 3.7 in Oct 2026, lowest 2.4 in Jan 2026. Source: CBS.

View data

Data: Inflation has climbed from 2.4% in February to 3.7% in October

Item	% change on a year earlier
Oct 2025	3.1
Nov 2025	2.8
Dec 2025	2.9
Jan 2026	2.4
Feb 2026	2.4
Mar 2026	2.7
Apr 2026	2.8
May 2026	3.5
Jun 2026	2.9
Jul 2026	3.2
Aug 2026	3.3
Sep 2026	3.4
Oct 2026	3.7

What this means for you

• A fixed tariff (vast tarief) keeps the price per kWh or m3 the same for a set time, for example 1 or 3 years, and after that it becomes a variable tariff (variabel tarief) with at least 30 days' notice of the new rates.
• A variable tariff lets the supplier change the rate, usually at set moments such as every 3 months, with at least 1 month's notice, and cancelling carries no cancellation fee (opzegvergoeding), while cancelling a fixed contract early can.
• A dynamic tariff (dynamisch tarief) follows wholesale market prices, with electricity changing every quarter of an hour, hour or day and gas changing per day.
• A standard model contract (modelcontract) is a variable tariff or a 1-year fixed tariff, and suppliers may charge customers with solar panels a feed-in charge (terugleverkosten) that is stated in the contract.

Source: ACM ConsuWijzer: vaste en variabele leveringskosten, read 9 November 2026