Prices of Noche Buena items rise

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has recorded increases in the prices of at least 12  food items commonly bought during the holiday season, including ham and fruit cocktail,  logging upward price adjustments ranging from P1 to P56.60 from 2021 levels.

On Tuesday, the trade department released a list of these products and their prices, cataloguing 195 stock keeping units SKUs) – which is used to identify and categorize inventories – where they saw upward price movements.

These food items include ham, fruit cocktail, cheese, keso de bola, mayonnaise, sandwich spread, pasta, elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, spaghetti sauce, and tomato sauce.

For ham, the DTI noted a 1 percent to 5 percent increase on 13 stock keeping units (SKUs), while recording 6 percent to 10 percent in seven others. Three SKUs had an increase of more than 10 percent.

Meanwhile, two fruit cocktail SKUs had an increase of 1 percent to 5 percent, eight saw a 6-percent to 10- percent increase, while one posted an increase of more than 10 percent.

Ham prices range from P163 to P892, while fruit cocktails cost from P56 to P288.

For keso de bola, two SKUs had an increase of 1 percent to 5 percent, six had 6 percent to 10 percent increase, and four had more than percent upward adjustment.

Two SKUs of cheese had a 1 percent to 5 increase, seven had a 6 percent to 10 percent increase, while four had increases of more than 10 percent.

Keso de bola retails for P199.50 to P513.75 (up from P177.40 to P457.10), while cheese sells for P54.35 to P371 (from P48.90 to P350) depending on the size.

For spaghetti sauce, two SKUs had an increase of 1 percent to 5 percent, eight saw an increase of 6 percent to 10 percent. Twenty-three had an increase of more than 10 percent.

Four tomato sauce SKUs had an increase of 6 percent to 10 percent, while nine others had adjustment of more than 10 percent.

Spaghetti sauce no sells for P23.55 to P95.50 ( from P22 to P85.90 last year), while tomato sauce costs anywhere from P17.25 to P92.25  (from P13.85 to P80.55).

One SKU of cream had a 1 percent to 5 percent increase, while another one had a more than 10 percent increase. Prices of this staple ingredient during Christmas range from P63 to P75.

Prices for mayonnaise range from P24 toP234, indicating an increase of P0.60 to P23.45 compared to last year. Sandwich spread sells from P26 to P252, which is equivalent to a P0.60 to P13.16 increase.

Elbow and salad macaroni costs P23 to P119 and P39 to P117, respectively. These prices indicate an increase of P4 to P27.5 increase for both items.

In previous statements, the DTI attributed these price increases to manufacturers adjusting the amount they charge due to the rising cost of raw materials.