TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A special task force is continuing its search for price gouging by food suppliers and restaurant chains in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, reports said Tuesday (Jan. 4).

A total of 24 restaurants and 17 suppliers have received visits from inspectors, with eight distributors of pork, beef, chicken, and seafood facing checks in the course of just one day, CNA reported.

The COVID-19 pandemic is viewed as one of the main reasons for inflation around the world, with Taiwan also seeing price rises for daily necessities and food. The Ministry of Justice cooperated with other government departments to launch the task force and prevent abuse of the situation, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday period.

The inspectors visited restaurants before turning their attention to upstream producers and distributors of food in different parts of the country. The businesses were asked to explain and provide evidence for their pricing and the reasons for recent adjustments.

International inflationary pressure and adverse weather conditions resulting in shortages were the most mentioned causes forcing them to raise prices, the companies said.