Tokyo: Following a massive wave of price hikes in Japan in October, the prices of 833 food items will be higher from November, according to a survey by credit research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd. released on Tuesday.

The survey covered major food makers’ price hike plans as of the end of October.

On Tuesday, the first day of November, major dairy firms will implement price hikes for milk and dairy products due to higher raw milk prices amid surging feed costs.

Among them, Meiji Co., Morinaga Milk Industry Co. and Megmilk Snow Brand Co. will raise prices for a total of 262 items.

Shipping prices for milk and other products will be raised by 2.8 pct to 10.2 pct.

The price of Meiji’s mainstay 400-gram yogurt product, Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt LB81 Plain, will rise by around 11 yen to 292 yen. Morinaga’s Bifidus and Megmilk’s Megumi yogurt will also get price increases.

 The price of Meiji’s baby formula product will also rise on Tuesday, while Morinaga’s formula is set to face a price hike in December.

Among other food products, Calbee Inc.’s  Kappa Ebisen shrimp-flavored snack products will have another price hike.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. will raise the price of its Oronamin C drink product for the first time in 25 years, from 114 yen to 130 yen.

The number of products to face price hikes in November will be far smaller than October’s 6,699, the largest total this year.

A Teikoku Databank official said, however, that milk prices rising above 200 yen in November will have “as great psychological impact as in October.”

The official noted that as the Japanese government’s plan to provide households with 50,000 yen as a measure to tackle rising prices will mainly cover pensioners, child-rearing families, which are more susceptible to November’s price hikes, are unlikely to receive adequate aid.

Reflecting the yen’s weakening, over 2,000 products are already expected to face price hikes next year.

JIJI Press