Unveiling of Support Package to Combat Malnutrition; Return of Chicken to Crisis Zone

While the Ministry of Labor of the Islamic Republic has reported a deepening livelihood crisis and the initiation of supportive subsidies for families unable to provide food for their children, the news agency 'Mehr' reported that the price of each kilogram of chicken has approached 89,000 tomans, reflecting a 6% increase over the past week. Although 'Mehr' announced the price of each kilogram of whole chicken as 88,800 tomans, the website 'Eghtesad Online' reported that a 900-gram package of chicken has reached 107,000 tomans and a 1.8-kilogram package has reached 261,000 tomans. The newspaper 'Jomhouri Eslami' reacted to the rise in food prices, stating that many people can only read the prices, and the number of those who can buy and consume is decreasing daily. This newspaper emphasized that prices from two years ago seem to be just for nostalgia, memories that must be read with regret. Meanwhile, production sector issues have created another crisis on the supply side, with published statistics indicating a 29% decrease in the amount of red meat supplied in official slaughterhouses compared to the same month last year. Following the malnutrition crisis in Iran, the Ministry of Labor announced that starting today, the value of food stamps for 120,000 households will be increased to one million tomans. According to the latest report from the Statistical Center published today, the performance of official slaughterhouses in Mehr 1402 shows a 29% decrease in the supply of red meat. In another development, the Ministry of Labor announced that the value of food stamps for 120,000 households will be increased to one million tomans. The Deputy Minister of Labor emphasized that in addition to basic goods, items such as fruits and vegetables have also been added to the electronic food stamp plan, and the government will support 120,000 households unable to secure food security for children by increasing the value of their electronic food stamps from 600,000 to one million tomans per person. Alireza Asgariyan stated that three indicators have been considered for this plan, with one million tomans allocated to each person in the first to fifth deciles and 600,000 tomans to each person in the sixth and seventh deciles. Asgariyan also emphasized that the electronic food stamp includes 11 items including dairy, milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, proteins including chicken and red meat, legumes, oil, sugar, and rice, which now also includes fruits. The flood of price increases continues; butter has become expensive again, bread is still on the path of price increases, with a 40% rise in 15 provinces. The food crisis in Iran has prompted the Minister of Agriculture to propose the formation of a 'Supreme Food Security Council.' Discrimination in Iran has reached the healthcare sector; medicines are not available. A labor official stated that wages are only sufficient for 10 days; a government official stated there is no news of wage restoration. A member of parliament stated that inflation control has failed; people do not believe in the reduction of inflation.