A Call for a more Collaborate Approach to the Rise in Bread Prices

Contact: Tesa St. Ange

Monday, November 06, 2000 - The Ministry of Commerce, International Financial Services and Consumer Affairs has responded to the controversy surrounding recent increases in the price of certain kinds of bread. The Ministry has been receiving a number of complaints from consumers over alleged arbitrary increases in bread prices.

According to the Consumer Affairs Department, they were unaware of these increases, the true extent of which was uncovered following investigations. Some bakeries, particularly in the north, have raised the cost of some of their flour products. They have justified this by pointing to the increases in the price of fuel that came into effect last month.

Officials at the Ministry of Commerce say that while the ministry has  the authority to control the price of sandwich bread and creole loaves, it has no jurisdiction to regulate the price of non-controlled bread products such as hamburger rolls, butter bread and whole wheat bread. 

Director of Consumer Affairs, Philip Mc Clauren, suggests, even so, there should have been greater consultation among relevant parties to address the potential effects of price increases. "We at the ministry still believe that there is a way of handling this situation, because an increase in the price of bread will have other consequences - an impact on the cost of living, on the purchasing power of consumers, as well as inflationary pressure on the economy. So we believe that the bakers should have discussed the matter with the Ministry of Commerce before they proceeded to increase the prices of those items, although they are not controlled," he said.

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