The Thai Restaurant Association is calling on the government to support the restaurant industry amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. These proposed measures would help to prevent immediate food price hikes, reduce food inflation and safeguard employment in the sector. Nantapong Chiralerspong, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO), said earlier that rising oil prices would influence the prices of various products, with prepared food likely to see increases before other items. According to the TPSO, if oil prices reach US$100 per barrel and prepared food prices increase by 10% in 20% of the country, inflation could rise by 2-3%. In the worst-case scenario, oil prices would spike to $120 and prepared food prices would rise by 10% in more than 50% of the country, in which case inflation could exceed 3%, said Mr Nantapong.

Source: Bangkok Post March 10, 2026 02:50 UTC