Association president Cheah Poo Kuang said he had received a letter from a dairy products company notifying him about the price increase for items such as whey and skimmed milk powder, China Press reported.

Cheah said a box of milk powder currently costs RM110, but is expected to increase by RM10.

He said any increase in the price of condensed milk and evaporated milk would affect the price of beverages at their outlets.

According to him, businesses were forced to make price adjustments in January when the cost of dairy products increased twice last year, in April and November, coupled with increases in other overhead costs like employee salaries, rent, electricity and gas.

He said the upcoming price hike of dairy products was, therefore, “inappropriate”.

“We do not wish to increase prices, but if there is another price increase in June, we will be forced to adjust our prices,” the Chinese daily quoted him as saying.

Cheah hoped that customers would understand the decision by coffeeshop owners to increase prices, saying it was a last resort since their businesses have yet to fully recover from the impact of the pandemic and movement controls, as well as inflation.