Standard Twelve-Ingredient Halo-Halo Now Averages 185 Pesos, Hotspots Quietly Shrink The Leche Flan
A dispatch for Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The price of a standard twelve-ingredient halo-halo at a panel of 34 monitored outlets has risen 17 per cent since January 2022, according to the Katipunan Institute for Consumer Economics. The average is now 185 pesos, up from 158. Dr. Maribel Ocampo-Ledesma argues halo-halo is now “a leading indicator of Metro Manila household purchasing power”.
The Methodology
The panel requires a standard specification: evaporated milk, shaved ice, red beans, white beans, kaong, macapuno, sago, nata de coco, ube jam, leche flan, pinipig, and an ice cream scoop. Eleven outlets have been dropped for shrinkflation – most commonly a smaller leche flan or omitted pinipig.
“Halo-halo is uniquely diagnostic,” Dr. Ocampo-Ledesma said. “It is discretionary, not luxury. Consumed across class brackets. And the consumer notices immediately when the leche flan is smaller.”
A Shop Owner Reacts
Mrs. Angeline Cabrera, 54, owner of a merienda cafe in Quezon City, had reduced her leche flan portion by 15 per cent last October. “A regular, Mrs. Dolor, mentioned it within two days. I apologised. I adjusted. I raised the price instead.”
A Comparison, Noted
The halo-halo index is broadly consistent with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas food inflation series, though the halo-halo figure runs three points hotter – a gap Dr. Ocampo-Ledesma attributes to “dessert sensitivity”. The index finds a cousin in The London Prat’s reporting on the Cereal Killer Cafe.
The Senate Takes Notice
A senator, who asked not to be named, reportedly quoted the Katipunan paper in an agricultural subcommittee last week. The quotation was, per attendees, “supportive of a forthcoming policy proposal”.
The Index Goes On
The Institute plans quarterly updates expanding to turon, bibingka, and suman. The leche flan, by Dr. Ocampo-Ledesma’s own admission, is the category most likely to produce further hidden inflation. She has asked her team to weigh it in grams during each visit.
For more: The Poke. SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/