Kebab is so expensive in Germany that politicians are now also interfering with the rising price of the popular dish

The price of a döner kebab in Germany is €1 hot topic. Because the price has risen in recent years, political parties are now even calling for a price ceiling for the popular dish.

It is a question that Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been asked in recent months: “Can you do something about the rising price of a kebab?” It may sound a bit absurd, but in Germany they really wake up about it. The government was even forced to explain why the price of a kebab has risen sharply. On Instagram they explain that it has to do with inflation and rising energy costs due to the war in Ukraine.

Because their perhaps favorite dish is becoming less and less affordable, Germans are now hoping for a price ceiling for kebab. “It is very striking that everywhere I go, young people in particular ask me whether there should be a maximum price for döner,” said Scholz.

The socialist party, Die Linke, has now taken up the issue. In a draft they submitted to parliament, they argue for such a maximum price for kebab, under the name Dönerpreisbremse. For example, such a measure has already been introduced in some parts of the country due to rising rents. According to the party, the price of a kebab rose from 4 to 10 euros in some cities in two years. (Read more below the photo)

Die Linke want a general maximum price of 4.90 euros for a kebab. And young people should only be allowed to pay a maximum of 2.90 euros for their favorite food. They also propose vouchers for daily kebabs per household. Such measures would cost around four billion in subsidies annually, the party calculated based on the 1.3 billion kebabs eaten annually in the country. The Green party is also willing to listen to proposals regarding the kebab price problem. “For young people right now it is an issue that is as important as where they will live when they leave home. I know that for many people here it is not an everyday issue,” politician Hanna Steinmüller said in parliament. “And it’s also something that may be ridiculed, but I think as representatives of the people we have an obligation to highlight these different perspectives.”

“For young people right now it is an issue that is as important as where they will live when they leave home”

Hanna Steinmüller

German politician

Olaf Scholz responded by saying that such controlling price measures are “not feasible” in a free market economy. Instead, he praised the “good work of the European Central Bank” in reducing inflation. There are even calls on social media for the return of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Scholz’s predecessor “at least had the döner under control.”