Overview

• Teikoku Databank’s July survey finds 1,010 food items will see price increases in August, a 52.8% rise from the same month last year.
• Condiments top the August list with 470 items due for hikes, while dairy products account for 281 increases as raw-milk transaction prices climb.
• After April’s wave of over 4,000 price raises, cumulative announced hikes through November have reached 19,416 and are projected to exceed 20,000 by year’s end.
• Rising costs of raw materials, energy and labor have prompted companies to shift from hidden quantity reductions to transparent price increases.
• Teikoku Databank forecasts an October “half-year price increase rush” affecting more than 3,000 items that will further strain household budgets.