The already high energy prices continue to rise due to the situation in the East. ProFri is sounding the alarm because the bills are becoming unaffordable for entrepreneurs in the frying industry. And fries lovers will also feel that in their wallets: “If things continue like this, fries will become unaffordable”, says Frans van Rooij of the Association of Professional Deep-Fryers.
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To startle
It is estimated that about forty percent of cafeteria owners have a variable energy contract. “They are already faced with a high bill. Many of the other entrepreneurs’ permanent contracts expire within a year. They also face high costs,” says Van Rooij. The biggest blow is yet to come, he thinks.
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Marieke and René Jacobse, owners of a cafeteria in Helvoirt, have such a variable contract. “In February 2021 we paid about 400 euros for gas, which has almost tripled this year. It is a shock for us when we open both private and business accounts,” says Marieke.
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More and more expensive
The owners do not want to pass on those higher costs to the customers. “We have now raised the price a little bit, but we will not go any further. Then you price yourself out of the market. Customers do not accept prices that are too high. They would rather buy an airfryer or deep fryer and of course we don’t want that either.”
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Frans van Rooij thinks it is inevitable that prices will eventually rise. This is also because the purchase of snacks, chips, cooking oil and packaging is becoming more and more expensive. “But we are lucky that everyone likes fries. Not everyone can eat out, but getting a snack often works.”
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Culture
Snack expert Mark van der Molen also doesn’t think that people will just ignore fries if it becomes more expensive. “People also don’t stop smoking despite it becoming more and more expensive. They might eat a few fries less, but I can’t imagine they no longer do it at all,” Van der Molen told EditieNL.
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If it’s up to him, the snack bar belongs to a piece of Dutch culture. “When you cross the border, those things look very different and they sell very different things.” He also thinks it is an important part of the streetscape in city centers and villages. “More and more small entrepreneurs are disappearing because of these high costs. That is a shame. We must cherish it.”
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debts
To help entrepreneurs and protect customers from high prices, ProFri is appealing for support from The Hague. Van Rooij: “The corona recovery plan has not yet been presented. Many catering entrepreneurs are already in debt due to the pandemic and then this is added.”
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