Soaring wholesale meat prices in China sparked by the African swine fever epidemic are threatening a crisis in the nation’s food retail sector, which has struggled to pass on the bulk of the increases to consumers.
Pork prices were nearly 159 per cent higher in October than a year earlier, more than double the retail price rise of nearly 73 per cent, hitting restaurants, butchers and other food retail outlets.
The trend has been reflected in other meats and sources of protein, including beef, chicken and eggs, suggesting the impact of swine fever is beginning to hit the wider economy just as growth has slowed down to a 30-year low of 6 per cent.