Major South Korean food companies are raising prices on cup noodles, dumplings, beverages, bread, cakes and desserts just over a month before the Chuseok holidays. Otoki will lift prices for cup noodles and dumplings by 6% to 7% from Sept. 7, Paldo will raise shipment prices for some cup noodles and beverages by an average of 5% from Sept. 1, and Samlip will increase prices for about 50 bread products by an average of 9%. Paris Baguette will raise prices for 127 products by an average of 5% from Tuesday. The increases follow earlier price hikes by Nongshim, CJ CheilJedang and Tous les Jours. Companies cite higher costs for eggs, raw sugar, wheat, palm oil, naphtha used in packaging and foreign exchange, as well as the war in the Middle East. They also say some increases reverse price cuts made four to five months earlier under government pressure to stabilize inflation. Consumers and the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations argue that companies may be passing on anticipated costs or protecting profitability despite limited deterioration in recent cost ratios.