In a social media post, a user complains about the difference between the prices charged in supermarkets in Portugal and in Germany or France. Specifically, the user gives the example of a box of strawberries, purchased on the same date (March 7), which in a commercial area of Viana do Castelo it costs €3.35 and, in Germany, €1.79. In the publication you can also read that the strawberries in both packages are supposedly produced by the same farmer.
The price difference does exist, but it requires some context. First of all these are different supermarket chains. The photograph taken in Portugal corresponds to a Mercadona store, while the one taken in Germany corresponds to a space of the Kaufland supermarket chain.
In response to the Observer, a Mercadona source reports that the group does not comment “on the conditions of sale of other chains, whether Portuguese or foreign, nor on the their promotional campaigns, the variety or quality of the products, factors that condition and make the situations presented incomparable”.
The same source clarifies, however, that, based on the images presented, “This is not a Mercadona supplier.”
As these are different supermarket chains, as Mercadona points out, it is natural that different variables influence the price of products, such as different promotional campaigns of a different nature.
Still, when visiting the Kaufland website, We did not find that box of strawberries at the price indicated in the photo of €1.79. The same product, in the same quantity, is on sale for €4.99.
But analyzing the boxes of strawberries for sale in Portugal in different supermarket chains, we also found some fluctuation in prices, depending on the different characteristics, or the aforementioned promotional campaigns. In other words, it is not even possible to define a standard in Portugal.
Conclusion
The price of a box of strawberries bought in a supermarket in Germany is more expensive than the value found in Portugal, in a Mercadona. However, an official source from the supermarket chain guarantees that, according to the images shown, it is not a Mercadona supplier, so immediately the rules for setting prices are different.
When consulting the website of the German supermarket where the cheapest box of strawberries was photographed, we could not find it for the price indicated in the images: €1.79. On the contrary, the box is even more expensive than what we find in some Portuguese supermarkets.
Thus, according to the Observer classification system, this content is:
DECEIVER
In the Facebook rating system this content is:
PARTLY FALSE: content claims are a mix of accurate and inaccurate facts or the main claim is misleading or incomplete.
NOTE: This content was curated by The Observer as part of a fact-checking partnership with Facebook.
Source: Observadora
