MP calls for curbs on bakery price rises

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A call to rein in steep bread prices has been made by MP Dr Munir Seroor, who says some bakeries are using subsidised flour, adding small extras, and then charging far higher sums.

Dr Seroor urged the Consumer Protection Directorate to establish clear weight rules and fair price bands for baked goods.

The MP said the step was needed to protect shoppers while keeping fair trade between bakeries.

Some bakeries, he said, add milk, sesame or colouring to bread and then raise the price severalfold. He added that such extras do not justify those price jumps.

“The government has provided fixed support for flour and bread to ensure citizens and residents can obtain this basic good at affordable prices,” Dr Seroor said.

He said the law bars the resale of subsidised flour because it is meant for the public and is linked to food security and social calm.

But he said some bakeries were exploiting that support by changing the product slightly, then selling it for far more.

Dr Seroor called on the Consumer Protection Directorate to check that bakeries stay within fair price bands and to act against those charging unjustified sums.

He also called for prices and weights to be displayed plainly so buyers can compare goods before they pay.

“We see abuses with our own eyes in some bakeries, and this calls for firm measures to stop these practices,’ he said.

He said proper weights and scales, along with clear rules for bakeries, were needed so that public support still reached the people it was meant to help.