Over 3000 price hikes set to hit food items in October

Just about every month this year, news has broken about another wave of price hikes on food items, and (much to my disappointment) October is no exception.

According to Teikoku Databank, a total of 3,024 food and beverage products from 195 major makers will see higher prices this month. That's a 3.4% increase compared to last year, and it marks the 10th consecutive month of price rises. It's also the first time since April that the number of affected items has topped 3,000.

It's worth noting that the most noticeable impact is likely to come from drinks. Around 70% of the price hikes are beverages, including bottled sodas, teas, and alcoholic drinks from brands like Kirin and Coca-Cola. If you're used to grabbing a drink from the konbini on the go, expect to pay just that little bit more.

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Some staples are also affected. With rice prices already high, packaged precooked rice and rice cakes are being marked up as well. These may seem like small increases individually, but for households that lean on convenience foods, the difference adds up quickly.