Food and restaurant prices climbing

If you thought  you paid more for less when you  last checked out in your local supermarket you were right. And stand by for a jump in prices at your favorite dinery.

The cost of  Panama’s basic food basket, increased to $264.73, in the first quarter of the year, up by  3.44 percent against  the same period in 2010.

Thise figures do not yet reflect the current climbing prices pushed upward by the last two big increases in the cost of gasoline.

 The prices of bread, chicken, orange juice, potatoes and lettuce were all higher, Consumer protection agency Acodeco said that it has found prices of other items not in the “canasta básica” have also increased.

The increase is being blamed on the rising price of oil, which has prompted an increase in production costs.

Dining out will also be costing you more as 

owners of restaurants and bakeries have confirmed that they have been notified by suppliers  of increases in the cost of raw materials used to prepare products, and bakeries are already passing on the cost to consumers.

Restaurants will not be far behind.