The government has decided to raise the price of imported wheat to milling companies by about 17% from next month.
This price is the second highest level ever.
The tension in the situation in Ukraine is beginning to have a major impact on our diet and our lives.
"Is there only a price increase ..."
I interviewed the conflicting site.
Imported wheat to the second highest ever
Approximately 90% of the wheat consumed domestically is imported, and the government procures it in a lump sum to secure it stably, and reviews the selling price to flour milling companies every six months.
Regarding the selling price from next month to September, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has decided to raise the average of the five major brands to 72,530 yen per ton, which is 17.3% higher than the previous six months.
This price is the second highest ever since October 2008.
As a factor, poor crops due to high temperature and dryness last summer in the main production areas of the United States and Canada had a great influence.
In addition, the tightening situation in Ukraine has spread uncertainties about the supply of wheat from Russia and Ukraine, which has pushed up international prices.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries estimates the impact on food prices, and estimates that household flour will increase by 12.1 yen per kilo, or 4.4%, and bread will increase by 2.6 yen, 1.5% per loaf.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries explains that the flour milling company will actually revise the price of flour about three months later in the past example.
Okonomiyaki ...
At the okonomiyaki shop in Hatchobori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, while the wheat price has reached the highest level for the first time in 14 years, there is concern that the purchase price of wheat and soba and udon using wheat used for okonomiyaki dough will rise further. I am.
Furthermore, the cost burden is heavy due to the increase in fuel costs such as electricity as well as the gas used for baking on an iron plate.
For this reason, if the cost burden increases in the future, the store will have to consider revising the price and menu of okonomiyaki.
The person in charge of the okonomiyaki restaurant's operating company said, "If the raw material goes up by 1 yen or 2 yen, the overall profit will be impaired. Now that the cost is rising sharply, we would like to make corporate efforts, but we are thinking of raising the price in the future. It's time to have it. "
Ramen shop conflict
Companies that have 28 ramen shops nationwide, mainly in Sapporo, are also worried.
The company manufactures ramen noodles at its own factory, and the price of the raw material for this noodle has risen by 3 to 5 yen per ball last month due to the rise in the price of flour.
In addition, the flour milling company that we are dealing with reported in June that we would raise the price of flour by about 10%.
Shoichi Kamoda, president of Ajinotokeidai, which runs a ramen shop, said, "I would like to raise anything that can be raised, but at the moment, I am not thinking of raising the price of ramen due to rising costs. I want to give priority to making people happy. However, most of the ingredients such as other pastes, which had a higher price in February, are higher. I don't know how much the price of wheat will be raised in the future. It's still quite tough. " rice field.
Japanese restaurant to raise the price
The Japanese food chain headquartered in Nagoya has decided to raise the price of some menus from next month.
We offer menus using wheat such as udon and soba, but it is estimated that a loss of about 200 to 400 million yen will occur in the year from next month due to soaring prices of raw materials such as wheat and cooking oil. The price increase is for udon noodles and soba noodles, and the price will increase by about 20 to 30 yen.
A person in charge of the Japanese food chain said, "We have tried not to raise the price through internal efforts, but the rise in wheat this time was quite large, and as a result of our worries, we decided that we had to decide to raise the price. I can't do anything about it, but I want you to calm down quickly. "
Convenience store sandwiches
At major convenience stores, there are a series of moves to raise prices for sandwiches and noodles.
Of these, Seven-Eleven Japan has raised the price of some sandwich products by about 5% to 12% from the 2nd of this month, excluding tax, in line with the renewal of ingredients and packaging.
In addition, FamilyMart has raised the price of some pasta products by about 5% including tax from the end of last month in line with the renewal.
In addition, Lawson has raised the price of about 50 products such as sandwiches, fried noodles, and rice balls by about 2% to 14% including tax from the 8th.
The reasons are explained by each company as the prices of raw materials such as wheat and cooking oil have soared, and the costs of packaging materials and transportation have increased.
Convenience stores will continue to consider revising product prices as necessary, taking into account trends in wheat raw material prices.
Even in adversity, support with "U-ku-ra-i-na" set meal
In an effort to help Ukrainians even as wheat prices rise, the Udon shop in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, has started a service that offers udon set meals free of charge to customers who cooperated in raising funds.
The special menu "Udon-supported set meal" started by the Udon restaurant in Imabari is a set of
▽ udon,
▽ black sesame,
▽ rice,
▽ Iberian pig, and
▽ raw vegetable salad.
If you read the initials vertically ...
Normally, the menu is worth 800 yen, but it is limited to one meal per customer and will be provided free of charge if you cooperate with the fundraising regardless of the amount.
The service started on the 5th of this month, and on the 9th, families and others visited at noon and ordered one after another.
A woman in her 40s who raised money with her two children said, "When I see many children in Ukraine having a hard time, I feel that it is not another person's job. The money raised helps support children and young people who are suffering. I want you to do it. "
On the other hand, what is worrisome is the rise in the price of wheat, which is the raw material for udon.
The wheat used in this store is from Australia, but we are concerned that rising international wheat prices will affect purchase prices and put pressure on management.
Still, in order to support Ukraine, we will continue the special menu until the 25th of this month.
The owner, Yuji Nakanishi, said, "In the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake, people from all over the world supported Japan, so I think it's our turn to support it. Wheat prices are rising and there are adversities, I want to continue to support as much as possible. "
Not just wheat ...
Against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prices of a wide range of products such as energy, grains, and metals continue to rise, and there are concerns about the impact on the future of the world economy.
In the New York crude oil market, the futures price of WTI, which is an international indicator of crude oil prices, temporarily hit the $ 129 level per barrel on the 8th, and has remained high.
The background is that the United States and the United Kingdom have announced a series of bans and gradual suspensions of imports of Russian crude oil.
In addition, on the Chicago Board of Trade, the price of wheat futures temporarily rose to 13.63 cents per bushel on the night of the 7th, hitting a record high for the first time in about 14 years since February 2008.
Concerns continue about stagnation of exports from Russia and Ukraine, market officials say, "It is reported that exports from Ukrainian ports have already been hindered."
On the London Metal Exchange, nickel futures temporarily surged to $ 101,365 per ton on the 8th, almost doubling the previous day to a high, and the exchange has taken extraordinary measures to suspend trading. I took.
Nickel is used in stainless steel and batteries for electric vehicles, and its price is rising due to concerns about supply stagnation from Russia, the country of production.
In addition, on the 8th, the New York Board of Trade's gold futures price, a safe haven, temporarily rose to $ 2078.80 per ounce, hitting a new high for the first time in a year and seven months.
If prices continue to rise for a wide range of things, it is inevitable that inflation will accelerate globally, and there is concern that it will have a negative impact on the economy.
Domestic gasoline prices continue to rise
According to the Petroleum Information Center, which is commissioned by the government to investigate gasoline prices, the retail price of regular gasoline as of the 7th of this month was 174.6 yen per liter on average, up 1.8 yen from last week.
In addition, the over-the-counter price of kerosene was 2060 yen per 18 liters on average nationwide, an increase of 27 yen from last week.
The price has risen for 9 consecutive weeks, the highest level in about 13 years.
The main reason for this is that the military invasion of Ukraine by Russia has begun in earnest, and the sense of caution about supply shortages has increased further, and the price of crude oil has risen.
The government has decided to raise the upper limit of subsidies to oil retailers from the current 5 yen per liter to 25 yen in order to curb the rise in retail prices, and after the 10th, it will increase 17.7 yen to the retailers. I will provide it.
"The rise in crude oil prices will be offset by subsidies, and next week is expected to be at the same price level as this week," said the Oil Information Center.