Meiji said on the 18th it will increase shipment prices for 14 chocolate snack and beverage products as elevated raw material costs, manufacturing expenses and logistics charges continue to squeeze margins. The move covers 11 chocolate snack items, including Kinoko no Yama, Takenoko no Sato, part of the Garbo series and Karl sold in western Japan, with increases of about 3-8% from November 1 shipments. Three beverage products, including Tsujiri Matcha Latte, will see steeper hikes of about 16-21% from October 1 shipments. The company said many raw material prices remain high because of expanding global demand, while labor shortages and higher energy costs are pushing up production and distribution expenses. Meiji said it has tried to absorb those increases internally but has found it difficult to keep selling at current prices. The announcement comes as confectionery makers grapple with historically high cocoa costs linked to supply concerns in West Africa, a major producing region, and as food companies more broadly continue to pass through higher input, energy and labor costs. Meiji said it will keep pursuing measures to absorb cost increases while aiming to deliver safe, high-quality products, and attention is likely to center on how the higher prices affect consumer demand for its long-running snack brands.