Rafizi to meet restaurateurs, food vendors over rising prices

 

Last week, economic affairs minister Rafizi Ramli denounced the attitude of certain food operators who refused to lower their prices despite the lower cost of raw ingredients. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Economic affairs minister Rafizi Ramli, who previously urged the public to boycott expensive restaurants, plans to meet restaurateurs to discuss ways to reduce food prices.

“I will meet them in the near future to find measures these restaurant operators, food vendors as well as the government can take (to deal with the rising cost of goods),” he said in a statement today.

Rafizi said he was aware of some of the challenges faced by restaurateurs in managing the increasing operational costs, including the implementation of the RM1,500 minimum wage.

He said the government was fine-tuning several initiatives to help them manage their businesses, including expanding the gig workforce in restaurants and F&B outlets.

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“This is part of the effort to coordinate the job market with the sectors as we work to restructure the economy,” he said.

Last week, Rafizi denounced the attitude of certain food operators who, he said, still refused to lower their prices, despite the lower cost of raw ingredients.

He also repeated his call for consumers to avoid restaurants that offer food at unreasonable prices.

His comments irked several restaurant operators who said Rafizi did not see the whole picture, including the prices of fish, vegetables and dry goods which have skyrocketed as well as the implementation of the minimum wage. - FMT