Food prices are not being raised artificially, says relevant chamber head

The rapid rise in food prices is not being artificially boosted by the food industry, the President of the Czech Federation of the Food and Drink Industries Dana Večeřová has told news site iDnes.cz. She said that one in twenty bakers and other food related businesses have been forced to quit as prices for some commodities have risen by hundreds of percentage points.

Ms Večeřová said that she was unhappy with how the government was handling the situation, saying that it is “pretending as if nothing is happening”. Using the example of bread, she added that the prices for some foodstuffs are not actually being increased as much as their production cost has grown, because it would not be possible to sell them otherwise.

Food production is being affected by the rising energy and fuel prices, which in turn affect transport and storage. Meanwhile, inflation also means businesses have to spend more on employee wages, the news site writes.