Belgians are having to pay more for their favorite snack, French fries, due to rising costs for energy, raw materials and labour.
Belgium is the world’s largest exporter of French fries and other frozen products, with 5.3 million tonnes of potatoes processed per year and shipped to customers in more than 160 countries.
“French fries being such an important product for Belgium, of course, emotionally when you get a 10 or 20 cent increase per slice it’s heartbreaking, much more than a washing machine or a pair of shoessaid Bernard Lefevre, president of the national union of potato chip manufacturers.
In addition to rising energy prices, which affects families and businesses almost everywhere in the world, Belgians have to deal with a ban on single-use plastic forks and plates traditionally used for eating chips
“We need gas to make french fries… You can’t fry french fries with a candle”, said Lefevre, who expects prices to rise around 10% in the coming months, after two years of little change.
The coronavirus pandemic has also caused a shortage of sauces, including mayonnaise, which Belgians consider essential for eating their fries.
Source: Gestion
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