Costly mutton dressed up as pork crisis, Chinese regulators tell restaurants
- County authorities intervene after eateries are found to be charging more for mutton noodles since pork prices rocketed
- Severe punishments are threatened for continued inflation
Authorities in Guizhou found that a bowl of mutton noodles, a dish popular in the province, typically cost 10 yuan (US$1.40) at local breakfast restaurants, up 2 yuan since August,the Guiyang Evening News reported.
After regulators investigated, market supervision bureaus in Xishui and Suiyang counties last week vowed to talk to restaurant owners and urge them to obey market rules and pricing law, according to the report.
Any restaurants found to be cooperating with rivals to inflate prices, spreading price rumours or manipulating prices by taking advantage of a monopoly would face severe punishment, the regulators were quoted as saying.
Some restaurants in Xishui told the newspaper that mutton and beef were more expensive because of the rise in pork prices, and confirmed that officials had told them last week to reverse their price hikes.
A senior official from the county’s market authority was quoted as saying raising prices was not based on solid evidence.
