A German political party is calling for the government to cap the soaring price of doner kebabs, which has more than doubled in the past two years due to inflation.
Around €7 billion, or around $7.5 billion, worth of doner kebabs are sold every year in Germany, according to The Guardian and The Independent.
The Left Party said some kebab businesses had increased prices from €4 (around $4.30) to €10 (around $10.80) in two years, The Guardian reported.
Kathi Gebel, the youth policy spokesperson on the board of the Left Party, told Business Insider that kebabs cost at least €7 ($7.55) across the country.
She said the government “must intervene to prevent food from becoming a luxury item.”
The party plans to propose a government price cap of €4.90 (around $5.30) or €2.90 (around $3.10) for young people, The Guardian reported.
It reportedly envisages using billions of euros of state funds to cap the price. It would then use subsidised vouchers to make up the difference for distributors.
In an Instagram post, the German government said in February that prices of the doner kebab are rising because of rising wages and energy costs.
“High rent, energy, and food are the main costs for kebab shops. If those decrease, then kebab prices also decrease,” Gebel told BI.
“The kebab price will remain high if the government does not change anything,” she said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke about the issue in the past, saying that he is asked by young people “everywhere I go” if there should be a price reduction for doner kebabs, according to the outlet.
In 2023, Scholz was heckled by a member of the public who said: “Speak with Putin … I’m paying eight euro for a doner.”
Scholz previously ruled out implementing price caps, instead highlighting the “good work of the European Central Bank” in handling inflation, according to The Guardian.
The Federal Statistical Office said overall consumer prices in Germany rose by 5.9% in 2023. It added that energy prices in the country rose by 5.3% in 2023, compared to a staggering 29.7% increase in 2022.
The organization said the increase in prices could be attributed to the “impact of war and multiple crises.”
The German government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
