Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Ministry of Commerce to take steps to keep down spiralling food prices, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.
He said the cost of farm products such as palm oil, eggs and fresh vegetables have risen sharply.
In response, the Department of Internal Trade would ask department stores with food courts to help vendors keep down prices through means such as reduced rental and revenue share.
Operators of fresh markets would be asked to monitor sales of fresh food and ingredients to keep prices reasonable and enable fast food outlets to also keep prices affordable,
"Moreover, the government has a number of programmes, including the co-payment scheme and blue flag shops selling low-priced food, to help keep down the people's cost of living.
"The government also plans a new round of registration for state welfare cards, to cover more people in trouble," Mr Thanakorn said.
