Prices of nearly 1,500 food and beverage items to rise in November

The prices of 1,477 products from 195 major food and beverage makers in Japan are set to rise in November, a roughly 10-fold increase from 150 items a year before, a Japanese research company said Friday.

The figure fell below 2,000 for the first time in five months, according to Teikoku Databank.

Seasoning products, such as sauces and mayonnaise, accounted for 644 items, the largest by category, followed by 417 alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage products.

Kewpie will raise the prices of its mayonnaise and dressing products.

Asahi Soft Drinks plans to raise the price of its Mitsuya Cider soft drinks, while Ito En will raise the price of its Kenko Mineral Mugicha barley tea.

This year, the number of food and beverage items whose prices have been raised, or are set to be raised, stands at 20,327, surpassing 20,000 for the second consecutive year.

For next year, “There is a possibility that the pace of price increases will slow as companies may pass on costs to their product prices while carefully assessing consumer responses,“ a Teikoku Databank official said.