Photo/Illutration The Akidai supermarket in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward reported that chicken is selling well. (Yoichi Yonetani)

The rising cost of living is causing more and more households to cut back on food expenses, with many opting for chicken as a budget-friendly alternative to expensive beef.

Families with two or more people spent an average of 301,974 yen ($2,075) on living expenses in October, an internal affairs ministry’s household survey showed.

The figure in real terms, excluding price fluctuations, fell 2.5 percent from the same month last year, marking the eighth consecutive month of a year-on-year decline, according to the survey released on Dec. 8.

At Akidai supermarket in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, customers began arriving as soon as the store opened at 10 a.m.

“Prices of goods have become higher overall,” said a 66-year-old woman who picked up chicken thighs in the meat section.

“Chicken is affordable and can be used for anything,” she added.

Hiromichi Akiba, 55, president of the supermarket, said that while sales of pork and chicken have been increasing, sales of wagyu beef have been sluggish.

“Until now, high-quality wagyu beef had been selling even on weekdays, but now only on weekends,” he said. “People are becoming more concerned about prices, not just for meat.”

The household survey also showed that the average spending on beef by families with two or more people was 1,621 yen in October, down 8.9 percent from the same month last year.

The figure saw a year-on-year decline for the sixth consecutive month.

On the other hand, chicken purchases increased by 3.5 percent, and pork remained unchanged.

The overall expenditure on fresh meat was nearly flat, indicating a consumer shift toward more affordable meat options.

However, beef is not only thing that is rising in price prominently.

According to the consumer price index for October, prices for domestic beef rose by 2.5 percent and imported beef by 6.2 percent compared to a year earlier.

Domestic pork prices increased by 5.9 percent, imported pork by 4.5 percent and chicken prices went up by 6.9 percent.

Prices for vegetables, such as green onion and cabbage, dairy products and bread continue to be high.

As a result, overall spending on food decreased by 4.4 percent in real terms, marking the 13th consecutive month of a year-on-year decline.

“Even at major supermarkets, more affordable store-brand products are selling well,” said Moe Nakahama, a research associate at Itochu Research Institute Inc. “There’s a growing awareness of cutting expenses wherever possible.”

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