Budget food corners to be arranged at big malls to help people cope with high living cost

BANGKOK: -- The Commerce Ministry is now cooperating with operators of big malls to arrange budget food corners where popular Thai dishes will be sold at 35 baht per dish for the people.

This was the latest scheme of the ministry to help low-income earners to cope with the high living cost. But the selling period will be just four months and 10 popular Thai dishes will be served.

Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikalya said after meeting with operators of these malls on Friday that Big C, Tesco Lotus, Makro and MBK malls have agreed to join the scheme.

He said he has asked the operators to arrange a budget food corner in their food court to offer affordable Thai dishes for customers.

Dishes such as stir fried chicken with basil, noodle, and fried rice noodle with pork will be capped at 30-35 baht per dish, he said.

General Chatchai also said the Central Group and the Mall Group have also agreed to join the budget food scheme but prices of those dishes in their food court will be capped at 40 baht per dish.

He said the scheme will kick off within February 17 and will run until June.

The minister also said he has ordered the Internal Trade Department to closely monitor prices of ready-to-eat dishes to prevent price hike since prices of many ingredients have gone down, but food sellers still do not adjust prices down.

He warned that operators who increase prices of ready-to-eat dishes without being able to provide good reason will be at risk of legal actions by the ministry.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/budget-food-corners-arranged-big-malls-help-people-cope-high-living-cost

-- Thai PBS 2015-02-07

What bothers me is that poor people do not go to the big malls to have lunch or dinner.

They will buy food from their local vendor that unfortunately have started increasing their prices and nobody is trying to regulate them.

The people that visit big malls can afford to pay the 10 or 20 Baht increase.

I hope this is not intended only for popular consumption with no evident gains.

"The Commerce Ministry is now cooperating with operators of big malls to arrange budget food corners where popular Thai dishes will be sold at 35 baht per dish for the people."

Brilliant idea that will also help alleviate the dog and cat overpopulation problem at the same time .

Edited February 7, 201511 yr by jaltsc

Will this be for Thai people only?

Will foreigners have to pay more "because they can afford it"?

What bothers me is that poor people do not go to the big malls to have lunch or dinner.

They will buy food from their local vendor that unfortunately have started increasing their prices and nobody is trying to regulate them.

why the <deleted> should the price of cooked food be regulated?

if people want to each cheap... they can cook their own... just like the rest of the world.

Food corners arranged Thai version :

Translated in common language; Portions will be made smaller and have even less nutritional value,

Just noticed yesterday at Makro (CP) that the frozen mussel meat which I liked had changed package, but kept the same price.

Still the same Chilean mussel meat at 100 - 200 pieces per kg, written on the label.

Only difference is that now in very small text is written " total weight 900 gram" where it before was 1 kg.

Looks like CP arranged their freezers also to help people with living

Good for Europeans, they need it with this rate of the Euro.

Food corners arranged Thai version :

Translated in common language; Portions will be made smaller and have even less nutritional value,

Just noticed yesterday at Makro (CP) that the frozen mussel meat which I liked had changed package, but kept the same price.

Still the same Chilean mussel meat at 100 - 200 pieces per kg, written on the label.

Only difference is that now in very small text is written " total weight 900 gram" where it before was 1 kg.

Looks like CP arranged their freezers also to help people with living

Oldest trick in the book and most fall for it as they just don't notice or are ignorant of the original weight. Worse case(if you are a drinker) was August/September 2013 when beer suddenly became hard to source at Supermarkets and shops. In October supplies were brought up to normal but the price had risen owing to a tax increase and the volume had been reduced in the bottles without anyone saying a word about the reduced volume. Seems the supply dried up whilst they were re-calibrating the machines that fill the bottles.

Those dishes mentioned are available at the food courts for 30 to 35 Baht aleady for quite a while.

What bothers me is that poor people do not go to the big malls to have lunch or dinner.

They will buy food from their local vendor that unfortunately have started increasing their prices and nobody is trying to regulate them.

The people that visit big malls can afford to pay the 10 or 20 Baht increase.

I hope this is not intended only for popular consumption with no evident gains.

"I hope this is not intended only for popular consumption with no evident gains."

Shame on you for suggesting the benevolent junta even consider such things.

Then vendors will make the portions even smaller or use ingredients of a poor quality.

Poor people on the markets even pay more for their local produce then it costs in supermarkets, but they seem to be ignorant or don't care because they want to have a chat with the vendors.

What bothers me is that poor people do not go to the big malls to have lunch or dinner.

They will buy food from their local vendor that unfortunately have started increasing their prices and nobody is trying to regulate them.

The people that visit big malls can afford to pay the 10 or 20 Baht increase.

I hope this is not intended only for popular consumption with no evident gains.

"I hope this is not intended only for popular consumption with no evident gains."

Shame on you for suggesting the benevolent junta even consider such things.

I'll be looking forward to the budget food corner in Siam Paragon, or the new Emporium, when it opens.

Let them eat (s&p) cake

Good for Europeans, they need it with this rate of the Euro.

not all eurpeans countries use euro, only few countries use euro but yes bad for euro pepole haha

Who weathers the loss?

Those dishes mentioned are available at the food courts for 30 to 35 Baht aleady for quite a while.

I was thinking the same thing. Well, I pay 40 baht for my favorite food court dish, but close enough.

Who weathers the loss?

The article says that food prices have come down but the vendors have not reduced prices. I guess there is no logy to weather. Besides, as has been mentioned, all the food courts I go to already have dishes in the range of 30-40 baht.

Who weathers the loss?

The article says that food prices have come down but the vendors have not reduced prices. I guess there is no logy to weather. Besides, as has been mentioned, all the food courts I go to already have dishes in the range of 30-40 baht.

I think they should crack down on the prices of club sandwiches in 5 star hotels. Foodstuffs have come down but the vendors stubbornly refuse to reduce prices.

Maybe they should reduce rents for noodle stands paid to police?

"Lets go and look at the people eating in the poor corner"

It's a silly idea and as mentioned before these dishes are readily available at 35 baht or less.

Foreigners will be charged tenfold as per national park entrance fees.

poor people should eat rice & fishsauce at home

much cheaper

"He said the scheme will kick off within February 17 and will run until June."

and after 4 month everyone will be out of poverty and prices dropping?

poor people should eat rice & fishsauce at home

much cheaper

Yeah yeah, but at home it is called white rice with fish sauce and unhealthy, while at the food court the same thing is called brown rice.

last time I choose a fried rice with pork,

I thought the seller missunderstood me, as i could not find the pork,

somehow on the bottom I found at least 4 pcs, 1mg at least per peace !!

where is a regulation, how much meat must be in such a meal ??

Who weathers the loss?

A substantial portion of 'graprow gai' costs approx 10bht to make using quality chicken (5bht or chicken + 200gm rice).

(200gm of cooked rice, sticky or steamed is sold for 5bht in all my local rice shops)

What loss are you talking about?

It's already available in the markets at 35 baht but then I suppose Juntaists only visit high-end malls.

Who weathers the loss?

A substantial portion of 'graprow gai' costs approx 10bht to make using quality chicken (5bht or chicken + 200gm rice).

(200gm of cooked rice, sticky or steamed is sold for 5bht in all my local rice shops)

What loss are you talking about?

Indeed, at the local market I buy +300 gram of steamed white rice for 5 Baht, at Big C I pay 12 Baht for 200 gram.

Who weathers the loss?

A substantial portion of 'graprow gai' costs approx 10bht to make using quality chicken (5bht or chicken + 200gm rice).

(200gm of cooked rice, sticky or steamed is sold for 5bht in all my local rice shops)

What loss are you talking about?

and how about the cost of oil, basil, fish sauce, chili, vinegar, sugar, water, styrofoam boxes, plastic bags, cooking gas, cooking utensils, gasoline for the pickup truck, the pickup truck, the food cart, salaries, cost of renting space, cost of unsold food etc. etc.? You've never been in the business obviously.

Just look at the parkinglots at the bigc's and tesco's. Thai can afford a 40- 50 baht lunch. Or can't they pay for their cars?

Keeps on being a mistery for me. Have a look at the colonel's.

prices of local markets were riased to the level of tesco or bigc when they arrived in town.