Christmas grocery monitoring: kutia index rose by 37%, and uzvar became 150% more expensive

Despite cheap vegetables, the main symbols of the Christmas table – kutia and uzvar – have noticeably increased in price this year. The kutia index rose by 37%. This was reported by UKAB, adding that the total cost of the Christmas table also increased, according to UNN.

DetailsOn the eve of the Christmas holidays, food prices show mixed trends: thanks to the record cheapening of vegetables, the cost of some traditional dishes has decreased, but the total cost of the Christmas table has increased due to the rise in prices for fruits, fish, and groceries. The total cost of a set of 12 Lenten dishes in December 2025 is UAH 913.57, which is 11% more than last year, UKAB noted.

A feature of this year’s winter season was “vegetable deflation.” As noted by UKAB, thanks to a good harvest, prices for vegetables in the “borscht set” have significantly decreased: cabbage became 73% cheaper, carrots – 63%, onions – 58%, potatoes – 54%, and beets – 51%. This allowed significant savings on the preparation of dishes such as varenyky with cabbage (their cost decreased by 47%), potatoes with garlic (-40%), and vinaigrette (-18%). Even Lenten borscht will cost 18% less this year than last year.

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However, despite cheap vegetables, the main symbols of the Christmas table – kutia and uzvar – have noticeably increased in price. The kutia index rose by 37%. This is due to the rise in price of all its components: nuts increased in price by 60%, honey – by 40%, and poppy seeds and raisins added more than 30%. The leaders in terms of price growth were the ingredients for uzvar: prunes became 168% more expensive, dried pears – 140%, apples – 110%, which led to an increase in the price of the drink by 150%, according to the Christmas monitoring.

Fish dishes also push the holiday budget up. The cost of herring increased by 24%, and fish (hake) for baking – by 25%. Additionally, the final cost of dishes is affected by sunflower oil, which is a basic element of the Lenten table and has risen in price by 22% over the year.

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As for meat dishes (for those who do not observe the fast or are already preparing for the New Year), their preparation is more expensive than last year. Baked pork neck will cost 7% more (UAH 330/kg). Lard is ahead of the rate of meat price growth – over the year, the product added 16% in price and costs UAH 272/kg. The cost of meat borscht increased by 27%, reaching UAH 196, where more than 60% of the price is pork ribs (UAH 119.5 for 500 g). Chicken prices are strengthening due to rising feed costs, and pork prices are stabilized by imports.

Cheese platter will be one of the most expensive items on the New Year’s table – UAH 700/kg, which is 40% more than last year. Despite the general trend of decreasing wholesale prices for dairy raw materials, producers maintain high prices for cheese and butter due to expensive energy resources. Eggs, which are necessary for Olivier, increased by 10% compared to the same period last year, reaching UAH 81.6 per dozen, UKAB summarized.

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