Europe News Desk!! Many food items have become costlier in Russia due to inflation caused by Western sanctions, but chewing gum has been hit the hardest. RT, citing a report in business daily RBK based on data from Rosstat, the state statistics service, said Russia saw its sharpest rise in retail prices over the past year. Chewing gum tops the list of food items. According to Rosstat data, the average price of a pack of chewing gum in March was 39 rubles ($0.47), up 22 percent from the same month last year. Other food items affected by inflation include margarine, cucumbers and ice cream. According to industry representatives cited by RBK, the prices for chewing gum have risen from Western sanctions on Russia. The import of the main components for the production of gum base is prohibited, as well as the supply of materials for packaging. Russian manufacturers of the gum base have reportedly been unable to meet the shortage. Mars and Mondelez have reduced their activities in Russia, Italian-Dutch Parfetti Van Melle still operates.
–IANS
World News Desk!!
SGK