Rising meat costs in Russia are nudging the price tag on shawarma upward by roughly 10 to 15 percent, according to sources cited by the newspaper News. The broader business community in Russia echoed these observations, pointing to a squeeze in input costs that is feeding through to prepared foods sold at street stalls and casual eateries. The immediate implication is that consumers will notice higher prices on their favorite shawarma sandwiches as sellers attempt to offset tighter margins caused by more expensive meat and related ingredients.
Within the market, the story is most visible in meat supplies. Anastasia Filippova, founder of the Show’rma network, highlighted a substantial rise in chicken costs over the past five months. The trend shows a near tripling of prices in some instances. In March, the average price for a kilogram of chicken hovered around 220 rubles. By early August, prices had climbed to about 330 rubles, with regional variations pushing some markets as high as 390 rubles per kilogram. This surge reflects pressures in poultry farming, feed costs, and distribution challenges that have affected the supply chain from producers to retailers.
To mitigate the impact of these higher input costs, business operators indicated that they would raise the prices of finished shawarma products from August through September. The adjustment is intended to preserve product quality and maintain supply continuity for customers who expect consistent flavors and portion sizes, even as wholesale and retail costs move higher. The anticipated price increases are likely to be uneven across regions, since ingredient mixes and operating costs can vary from city to city and from one neighborhood to another. Consumers should expect a practical range of price changes, with some outlets absorbing a portion of the cost while others pass a larger share of the increase to customers.
Industry figures and associations emphasize that the price shift is not a one-off event but part of a broader pattern tied to seasonal dynamics and the agricultural cycle. In early August, Dmitry Patrushev, head of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, noted that fluctuations in meat prices can be driven by seasonal factors that affect supply at different times of the year. He suggested that a moderation in costs could appear later in late August into early September, as harvests progress, warehouses refill, and market demand adjusts after the peak of the summer season. This outlook implies that some price relief could occur as supply chains stabilize, even if the immediate term remains tight for meat-dependent products like shawarma.
Earlier reporting noted that authorities were considering options to ease distributions, including potential measures to allow stores to operate with more flexible stock and logistics. While specifics were still under discussion, the broader aim appeared to be reducing friction in the supply chain and ensuring that staple foods remain accessible to consumers while producers navigate this period of higher input costs. The evolving situation underscores the interconnected nature of meat prices, food service costs, and consumer prices, reminding shoppers that what they pay at the counter for a shawarma sandwich is the result of a longer chain of decisions made across farms, processing plants, distributors, and eateries.