THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

People spending more on food despite low inflation, survey finds

People spending more on food despite low inflation, survey finds

Despite continued declines in the prices of fuel and raw materials, Thais have been spending more on purchasing food and dining out, according to a survey by the Commerce Ministry’s Policies and Trade Strategies Bureau.

 

 

The survey showed that the cost of dining out had increased consistently for 11 months from January to November, despite the Consumer Price Index declining.

In January, the price of home-cooked food rose 3.89 per cent year on year, while the price of dining out increased 4.09 per cent. Prices of both cooked food and dining out have continued to increase over the past 11 months. The price of home-cooked food rose 0.91 per cent and that of dining out surged 1.36 per cent in November from the same month last year.

The survey found the biggest increases in the cost of dining out was in fast food, food courts and restaurants.

Meanwhile the cost of raw food materials was stable of even declined over the 11-month period. The price of pork has stayed the same all year at about Bt130-Bt135 per kilogram, while chicken meat was stable |at Bt65-Bt70 a kilo. Egg prices decreased from about Bt2.90-Bt3 each early this year to about Bt2.50 now.

Vegetable prices have also been stable but may increase for some types because of the drought. Prices of seasonings such as fish sauce and sugar, as well as cooking oil, have also remained the same, while some even declined because of tough competition during the sluggish economy.

Global oil prices, meanwhile, have decreased continuously from about US$76 per barrel early this year to only $36 per barrel this month.

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