Food businesses get sauteed by price spike

The rising cost of garlic is feared to also jack up the cost of foodstuff that rely heavily on the popular spice.

Gerry Avila, chief of the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division of the regional office of the Department of Agriculture, said they don’t worry much with the individual buyers because they can simply minimize their use of garlic.

“What we worry the most is the many restaurants in Cebu which use more of these condiments. We all know competition is stiff among restaurants and they will want quality to entice their customers to patronize them. This may affect their costs,” he said.

Valeriana Ylaya, 65, of Cebu City said she has stopped using fresh garlic and has resorted to using artificial seasoning when preparing meals.

Kenneth Kokseng, general manager of Golden Cowrie and Hukad restaurant, said that they are already feeling the spike in prices and are now operating with lower profit margin.

“Food cost has increased as we still have to get from the same suppliers so as to provide the same consistent quality and value our customers come back for without increasing our prices. We can’t and don’t want to scrimp and look for other less costly substitutes,” he said.

Raki Urbina, owner and executive chef of Laguna Group, said that garlic is a very important ingredient in any dish.

“If rice is a must, then so is garlic. Not just the population is affected but the authenticity of our cuisine. Let’s hope adobo doesn’t take on a new twist, please. We have so many vast lands, and I don’t blame the farmers, but the government, big time,” he said.

Warren Macasero of Farley’s Lechon in Mandaue City said they have cut down on the use of garlic when marinating their lechon.

“From two bulbs, we’ve cut down the amount of garlic to 1 ½. Our prices remain the same. We use garlic as an aromatic enhancer and we just compensate by adding more onions,” he said.