Japan’s favourite snack falls victim to global inflation with first-ever price hike
One of Japan’s best-loved snacks is to go up in price – by a whopping 20% – for the first time since its launch more than four decades ago,
But Umaibo – literally “delicious stick” – will still be a steal for schoolchildren at just ¥12 apiece (US10c, not including sales tax), up from the current ¥10, when the change goes into effect in April.
The crunchy corn snack’s producer, Yakoin, blamed the rising price of corn imported from the US for the hike, the first since Umaibo went on sale in 1979.
Although the figures involved are tiny, the increase – less than 2c – is symbolically significant in “inflation-resistant” Japan, where firms have been reluctant to pass rising raw material costs on to consumers.
Noriko Eda, a 59-year-old Tokyo resident, said she was “surprised” by the news. “Umaibo have been the same price for so long, so a ¥2 increase is a big deal.”
A fellow Tokyoite, Naomi Hosaka, said it was a “bit sad” that the impact of inflationary trends in the global economy were affecting the cheapest items, including children’s treats.
The cylindrical snacks, wrapped in aluminium film, come in more than a dozen flavours, many based on Japanese food, such as spicy cod roe and takoyaki octopus balls, with cream of corn soup the biggest seller.
Around 700m of the sticks are sold annually – the equivalent of about five and a half for each person – both in packs and individually.
Umaibo’s low price and colourful wrappers featuring its hyperactive mascot Umaemon have earned the snacks a special place in the affections of schoolchildren looking to make their pocket money go as far as possible, and among older people craving a fix of sweet-shop nostalgia.
In the past, Japanese companies have countered rising costs by shrinking packages
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