Iran Expands Subsidized Food Basket to Include Quail, Fish, and Shrimp
In a significant move to diversify and enrich the nutritional options available to its citizens, Iran has officially added aquatic products and specific poultry items to its national food subsidy program.
Expanding the Essential Goods List
According to Marjan Dabiri, the spokesperson for the Electronic Coupon Plan, the fourth phase of the program’s recharge, which took place in the Iranian month of Mehr, introduced new products to the existing list of 11 essential goods. This expansion is a key part of the government’s ongoing strategy to support household economies.
“The addition of turkey and quail meat in the poultry category, and fish and shrimp in the aquatic category, marks the four new items added to the list of essential goods,” Dabiri stated in an interview with the Mehr News Agency. These subsidized products are designated for purchase by households falling within the first to seventh income deciles.
Program Uptake and Subsidy Structure
The spokesperson also provided an update on the program’s adoption, noting that as of the morning of October 6, over 16 million household heads had completed their full purchases, utilizing their entire non-cash subsidy balance.
The subsidy allocation is structured to provide targeted support, with households in the first to third income deciles receiving 500,000 Tomans per person, while those in the fourth to seventh deciles receive 350,000 Tomans per person. The government undertakes the funding for these allocations in each phase of the program.