Rising cost of milk pushes consumers towards 'thin' tea
Rising milk prices in Kenya are forcing food vendors to dilute their tea to maintain profit margins without raising prices for customers. While some vendors have successfully kept prices stable by reducing milk usage, customers have begun to notice and complain about the declining quality.
Why it matters
It illustrates the direct impact of inflation on small-scale businesses and the daily cost of living for consumers.
Packets of milk on display at a Naivas Supermarket outlet in Nairobi.
The rising cost of milk is putting fresh pressure on households and food vendors across parts of Nyanza, with traders being forced to make difficult choices as the price of a staple commodity climbs.
In Homa Bay, food vendors say the increase is squeezing their already thin profit margins, forcing some to cut back on the amount of milk they use even as customers complain that their tea is becoming increasingly diluted.
At local supermarkets, a 500ml packet of milk now sells for about Sh70, up from between Sh55 and Sh60.
For food vendors, the increase presents an unenviable choice of raising prices and risking losing customers or reducing the amount of milk used and compromising the quality of their products.
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