Manufacturers of food products seek price hikes in the Philippines

Only four out of 11 Noche Buena product categories have price hike petitions, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). These are ham, tomato sauce, pasta and creamer. “Just a few have requested for price hikes – ham, tomato sauce, pasta, cream,” said DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, who is in-charge of Consumer Protection and Welfare Group. The other Noche Buena products with no request for price increases are fruit cocktail, cheese, sandwich spread, mayonnaise, keso de bola, pasta/spaghetti, and elbow and salad macaroni. Meanwhile, DTI Assistant Secretary Ann Claire C. Cabochan also said in a radio interview that manufacturers’ requests for price hikes are being evaluated by the Consumer Protection and Welfare Group. She expects the DTI to make an announcement by early next month. Among the Noche Buena products, Cabochan said she personally think that products affected by the African Swine Flu are the most likely to increase prices. This means that some SKUs for ...