Kiss Bread prices rise —bakeries hold back

However, other local bakeries yesterday said that they have not raised the prices on any of their products in response to Kiss’ price increases.

In a statement yesterday, Kiss marketing manager Rene De Gannes said the company’s operations have been negatively affected by numerous inflationary pressures which have plagued the wholesale bakery business over the last 18 months, and particularly over the last half of this year. De Gannes identified wage inflation and increases in raw material inputs due to buoyant, global petroleum prices.

He said against this background and in light of the fact that Kiss is a wholesale bakery that serves the entire population, “it has become necessary to marginally increase our prices on selected items, of our range of products marketed throughout TT.”

De Gannes said the selective price increase on Kiss’ products will range from a low of ten cents (per six of hops) to a manageable 35 cents per loaf, a weighted increase of less than three percent, “which is far below the rate of inflation over the last two years,” he added. The affected products include sliced white bread, sliced wheat bread, hot dog rolls, large butter bread, and hops.

De Gannes also noted that hops and butter bread, which are the daily staples of many low income households have been increased only by less than two cents per unit and 15 cents per loaf respectively. “Calculated, based on a family of five persons, the average bread bill is likely to increase by a maximum of $7 monthly or less than 25 cents per day,” De Gannes said.

He added that the price of Kiss’ junior butter bread has not increased and the last time the company had a general price adjustment was in February 2005.

Stating that there was parity in its price increases in both Trinidad and Tobago, De Gannes assured consumers of Kiss’ commitment to playing an important role in the nutritional landscape of the average household with “a high degree of social consciousness.”

“We shall continue to adhere to this responsibility with the unwavering attention it so rightly deserves,” De Gannes said.

However, when contacted yesterday, senior personnel at Chee Mooke’s Bakery, Lucky’s Bakery, Linda’s Bakery and Chez George’s Bakery and Caterers said they have not increased the prices of any of their products in the wake of the increases in some of Kiss’ products. They all said that the Bakers Association of TT has not made any decision to raise the prices on bread, cakes or any other bakery product to date. Efforts to contact Association president Ronald Austin or other association directors yesterday for comment were unsuccessful.

Supermarkets Association of TT president Heeranand Maharaj said because the margins in which supermarkets operate within are so small, there is little supermarkets could do to shield consumers when they receive higher priced products from their suppliers.

He said Kiss supplies 80 percent of all bread and cakes to the nation’s supermarkets. Maharaj said he was unaware of any non-Kiss bread products being increased in any supermarket and he did not believe that the increases in selected Kiss products would result in price increases in any other food items.