BANGKOK, 13 May 2014 – The Department of Internal Trade will hold a meeting with department store operators this week to discuss complaints about food items having starting prices in excess of 50 baht per dish.
Deputy director-general Santichai Santawanpas said the department is scheduling a meeting with representatives of Big C, Tesco Lotus, Makro, Central, The Mall and Tang Hua Seng stores on Friday to inquire about how prices of food court items are set. He said there have been complaints lodged through the department’s hotline number 1569 about very high menu pricing at some food courts.
Mr. Santichai said food court dishes should be priced between 35 and 40 baht, and that he realized that the food court operators cannot be forced to sell food items based on the prices the department requested 2-3 years ago, at 25-30 baht per dish, due to heightened costs. However, he hoped to see less of a difference in menu pricing among the different food courts.
Mr. Santichai also disclosed that Big C and Tesco Lotus have already expressed interest in participating in the ‘Blue Flag’ food court initiative by the Internal Trade Department. Big C representatives have already promised to start the Blue Flag program by the end of this month or early next month, although Tesco Lotus representatives indicated that internal discussions were needed first.
