Raise prices from November Manufacturers of milk, etc. Some voices of “limits” from dairy farmers

While the price of various foods continues to rise, the price of milk, dairy products, powdered milk, etc. has also been raised since November.

Consumers are almost screaming at the price hike of food that is indispensable to the dining table, while manufacturers and dairy farmers say "the limit of effort" and "crisis situation".

On the other hand, there are concerns that consumption will slow down due to price hikes, so there are moves to boost consumption by launching new products.

Shoppers: "I never thought I'd get this far"

While the price of various foodstuffs continues to rise due to the soaring price of raw materials and the depreciation of the yen, the price of milk etc. has been raised again this month, and consumers in Miyazaki Prefecture are almost screaming.

Of these, the supermarket, which has four stores in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, has significantly raised the price of milk from the 1st.

A 1 liter pack that was 248 yen per bottle until October 31 was 268 yen, and a product that was 198 yen was 238 yen, so it was raised from 20 yen to 40 yen.

In addition, some dairy products were also raised, such as yogurt with 400 grams, which was 30 yen higher at 198 yen.

A woman who visited the shop said, "I was a little surprised because I didn't expect it to go up so high. Milk is tough because children drink it every day."

A man in his 70s said, "It's hard to raise the price of the food we eat every day. We have no choice but to make ends meet by avoiding food loss and saving on electricity bills."

Even if the price of powdered milk is raised, "it can not be reduced"

Several manufacturers have raised the price of powdered milk for infants from this month, raising concerns about the impact on household finances from child-rearing households.

From this month, Meiji will raise the price of powdered milk by 7.4% to 7.5%, and Asahi Group Foods will raise the price by 3.8% to 4.2%.

Noriko Okada, who lives in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, uses her baby formula to feed her twin brother, who is five months old.

She says that if she feeds two babies five to six times a day, the approximately 800-gram can of formula will be empty in about four days.

She has used nearly 30 cans of powdered milk in about three months, and the monthly cost of powdered milk has reached about 15,000 yen.

Last month, before the price increase, I went to the drugstore every day and bought powdered milk in bulk, as well as baby food, which will be raised in price, in preparation for the future.

Ms. Okada is currently on maternity leave, but her benefits will be reduced after six months from the start of her maternity leave. It is said that he feels uneasy.

Mr. Okada said, ``Powder milk is rice for children, and it is difficult to cut it down, so the price increase is difficult. It's pretty tough," he said.

Dairy farmer feed costs soaring Price hikes cannot compensate for rising costs

Dairy farmers in Ibaraki Prefecture are demanding the understanding of consumers, saying that even if the price of milk is raised, the business situation will continue to be difficult due to factors such as the weaker yen.

Tomohiro Miyazawa, who raises about 230 dairy cows in Omitama City, ships about 5 tons of raw milk, which is the raw material for milk, to dairy manufacturers and others through producer groups in the prefecture.

About 90% of the pasture grass and corn that serve as feed is imported, and the situation in Ukraine and the rapid depreciation of the yen have caused feed prices to soar. It means that

Mr. Miyazawa is trying to reduce the amount of imported feed by growing corn in his own field, but he says he has no choice but to rely on imports because each cow needs 46 kilograms of feed per day.

Against the backdrop of such a difficult situation for dairy farmers, in July this year, a producer group that sells raw milk mainly in the Kanto region and three major dairy manufacturers will raise the price of raw milk by 10 yen per kilogram from this month's shipment. I agree with you.

In line with this, the price of raw milk shipped by Mr. Miyazawa will be raised from this month, but even so, it will only compensate for about one-third of the increase in production costs, and the severe business situation will continue.

Mr. Miyazawa said, "It depends on the exchange rate, but if you don't raise the price by about 30 yen, it will be very difficult for dairy farmers. I want consumers to drink milk even if the price rises. "I'm talking.

Manufacturer “Limits that can be suppressed by corporate efforts”

A dairy manufacturer in Ishioka also complained that the current increase in production costs has exceeded the limits of corporate efforts.

This manufacturer accepts 30 to 45 tons of raw milk per day from producer groups in the prefecture and manufactures 9 types of products such as milk and yogurt. I was.

The reason is that the price of raw milk has been raised, and the price of packaging materials such as yogurt containers and milk cartons has also increased.

The range of price increases is expected to be 10% or more for products with a high percentage of raw milk, and about 5% for products with a low percentage.

Shinichi Hamada, head of the president's office at Ibaraki Dairy Products, said, "We are trying to reduce costs that can be reduced through corporate efforts, but still ask for things that cannot be met. We are very sorry for our consumers, but we are very sorry for this critical situation. I would like you to understand the situation," he said.

There is also a movement to boost consumption with new products using milk

There are concerns that the consumption of milk and dairy products will cool down due to price increases, so some beverage manufacturers are launching new products using milk to boost consumption.

With regard to milk and dairy products, manufacturers and producers' groups agreed to raise the transaction price of raw milk from cows. I'm here.

For this reason, in order to increase consumption, Asahi Soft Drinks, in collaboration with JA Zennoh, started selling new products from the 1st, including domestically produced skim milk powder and milk as raw materials for its main product, Calpis.

At a supermarket in Yokohama City, where sales began, banners and signs were set up to support the consumption of dairy and milk, and customers who visited picked up the products.

A female customer in her 70s said, "I don't like the high price of milk, but I think it's interesting to see new products like this."

JA Zennoh is also working with other manufacturers to develop beverages and confectionery using milk, and will continue to sell new products to boost consumption.

Mr. Shinya Yamada of JA Zennoh said, "Dairy farmers are working hard to make dairy products, but we are concerned that prices will rise and consumption will stagnate. We would like to continue collaborating with companies to encourage increased consumption." .