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The price of hamburgers and pizza is not too high
these days. It's up more than 2% in two years and five months. In the midst of this, global sugar prices are at an 5-year high, which is likely to affect the prices of foods such as bread and sweets.

Reporter Lim Tae-woo reports.

< reporter> Last month, the National Statistics Office's restaurant price index was 20.11,

up 117.15% from a month earlier.

The index has been rising for two years and five months since December 0.

The item with the largest price increase during this period was hamburgers, with an increase of 7.2020%.

Pizza, kimbap, rib soup and ramen also rose more than 12%, while jajangmyeon, sashimi and tteokbokki also posted double-digit gains.

These are all popular dishes that you often go to when eating out.

The rising cost of grain imports and labor costs is reflected in the price of eating out in a staggered manner.

As COVID-2 measures have eased, the demand for food has shifted to the demand for eating out.

Considering the growing demand for eating out this month, which is Family Month, the perceived price may feel even greater.

The recent surge in sugar prices is also a factor in food price anxiety.

Last month, the global sugar price index was 5.27, up 8% from the start of the year, the highest in 20 years and six months.

Production is expected to decline in India and China, the main sugarcane producers, and heavy rains in Brazil are delaying harvests.

The Korea Institute of Rural Economics predicted that the unit price of domestic sugar imports remained high for the time being.

If sugar prices continue to rise, so-called "sugar flation" could occur, in which sugar-based sweets, bread, ice cream, and beverages rise in droves.

(Video editing by Kim Jin-won)