Albania, the country that spends most on bread and cereals in Europe!

Is the high consumption of bread and pasta a sign of poverty? Eurostat's comparative data seems to confirm this. Albania, one of the lowest -income countries in Europe, is ranked as the country where its residents spend more for bread in relation to their income. According to the tables published by the European Statistics Institute (Eurostat), nominal costs for bread and cereal as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) were 4.9%, the highest in Europe. The second country behind us is Montenegro, with 3.9% of GDP being spent on bread and cereals, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 3.3% and Macedonia with 2.9%. The list continuous with a Western Balkan country, Serbia, with 2.7% (missing data for Kosovo). Even Greece, although a country in the European Union, spends 2.7% of GDP for bread and cereals. The average of country candidate and potential candidate countries (excluding Turkey and Kosovo) is 3.3% of GDP, much higher than the average of 1.1% of the 28 European Union countries. Is the high consumption of bread and pasta a sign of poverty? Eurostat's comparative data seems to confirm this. Albania, one of the lowest-income countries in Europe, is ranked as the country where its residents spend more on bread and cereals than their income. According to the tables published by the European Institute of Statistics (Eurostat), the nominal costs for bread and cereals as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) were 49%, the highest in Europe. The second country behind us is Montenegro, with 3.9% of GDP being spent on bread and cereals, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 3.3% and Macedonia with 2.9%. The list continuous with a Western Balkan country, Serbia, with 2.7% (missing data for Kosovo). Even Greece, although a country in the European Union, spends 2.7% of GDP for bread and cereals. The average of country candidate and potential candidate countries (excluding Turkey and Kosovo) is 3.3% of GDP, much higher than the average of 1.1% of the 28 European Union countries. Eurostat data shows that not only Albanians spend more to secure this vital need but this percentage is higher than 10 years ago. In 2007, the earliest year when INSTAT reported data, this percentage was 44, while in 2016 the highest level of 4.9% of GDP was recorded (Eurostat data are updated in June 2017). In absolute terms, the average cost per inhabitant for bread and cereals is 183 Euros a year, the highest in the region. Developed countries spend more per capita on this product, as it is more expensive, but because of high incomes, it does not affect their economy. According to the purchasing power method (where the average of the European Union is taken as a reference with 1), Albanians are buying bread 84 times more expensive than a European. Albanians not only pay more for bread in relation to their income, but it lacks quality as well. After all, domestic producers have complained that the Serbian flour without standard being imported from Kosovo is competing at ridiculous prices. The concern of the Albanian producers of grain is due to the import of Serbia's flour from Kosovo, which is entering Albania with prices almost 20% higher than the products of our factories. According to them, this flour does not meet the minimum protein standard (12%), smuggled, is not controlled by customs and has tax evasion maneuvering which starts from the import from Serbia. Bread is still basic food in Albania, as per person consumption per day is estimated at about 300 grams and as such leads to malnutrition and anemia, especially to children. Flour fortification implies a high level of protein in flour and is the key element of the United Nations and the Children's Organization (UNICEF) lobbying to ensure a healthier life in poorer countries. Domestic producers claim that flour from Kosovo has a protein level of 7 to 10% maximum, while Albanian milling factories apply the 13% standard for proteins, otherwise they are paralyzed. This early problem for Albanian producers seems to have culminated, as the economic crisis has led increasingly consumer trends towards cheaper products. So Kosovo flour has advanced in the market and its control by the Albanian authorities has multiple problems that are not related only to the standard.