Price hike for Japan's beloved cheap snack

Reuters Videos
2 年前

Japan's beloved Umaibo snack is going up in price

for the first time in 43 years

In 1979, the corn puff snack was priced at 10 yen

from April it will cost 12 yen, or $0.11

The Umaibo snack, meaning 'delicious stick'

had defined Japan's low growth for decades

by keeping its price unchanged

Now, Japanese companies are being squeezed

as the weak yen drives up import costs

and raw material costs increase

63-YEAR-OLD STOCK CLERK AT SNACK SHOP KAWAHARA SHOTEN, TAKESHI NEMOTO, SAYING:

"There's nothing we can do. From a producer's point of view, they cannot secure profit anymore unless they raise the price. This will also create problems for cheap snacks in the future because I think they will find it hard to survive as an attractive cheap product."

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 51-YEAR-OLD HOUSEWIFE, NAOMI HOSAKA, SAYING:"I never imagined an impact on cheap snacks, something that kids can easily buy, so I'm a bit sad and surprised."