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Takeaways could become dearer because of inflation, a Dáil committee has heard.
Officials from the Department of Finance officials told the Committee on Budgetary Oversight that price hikes in some basics food staples may occur later in the year.
Speaking at the Dáil Committee, Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart said: “I would be afraid, based on strong anecdotal evidence, that we have yet to see the real spike in prices on many food items, including takeaway meals.”
He told how he is friendly with a constituent who had a number of Indian takeaway restaurants.
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He said the restauranteur’s supplier had been charging between €43-€44 for a tray of fresh chicken last year.
But now the price charged was €83-84.
He said: “He hasn’t put up his prices yet. Indian cuisine being hot food, he is holding off for the summer months, when such meals are not ordered as much as in the winter.
“But he will look at raising prices in September, and I think the rise is going to be fairly substantial.”
Mr Lahart said other food retailers may follow that round themselves in the same position.
A principal officer at the Department of Finance, Brendan O’Connor told the Committee that analysis expected to see a “pass-through effect” from basic food inputs into retail prices later in the year on foods such as wholesale wheat and cooking oil due to the war in Ukraine.
He added: “We wouldn’t expect not to see price rises later.”
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