BANGKOK, 12 Nov 2014 -The Department of Internal Trade has confirmed that most of fast food shops throughout the country have yet to raise their prices after the LPG price adjustment.
Inspections by the Department showed that most of fast food items were still priced between THB25 and 35. The rest which sell foods at higher prices were found to have to shoulder higher costs, such as expensive stall rentals, and use of better quality raw materials.
The Department of Internal Trade said the monthly price adjustment of LPG caused vendors only three satang higher per dish. Thus, there should be no reason for most food sellers to raise prices.
To help soften the impact of energy price rise on consumers, the Department earlier asked for food vendors’ cooperation by retaining their current prices until the end of November. Food shop owners were also invited to join its reasonably-priced food project. More than 2,000 food operators have already taken part in the project so far.
The Department’s 1569 hotline has received more than 1,100 calls since the beginning of the year. Most of the calls are from those having problems with food vendors’ refusal to show item prices and unusually expensive meals.
The Department of Trade also said it was awaiting the new energy structure of the Ministry of Energy, which should be completed by November, and also the decision of the National Energy Policy Committee. Most affected by high energy costs would be heavy industries, it admitted.
