KUANTAN – The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has issued a notice to bread manufacturer Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn Bhd (Gardenia KL) requesting an explanation for the price increase of 30 types of its bread range beginning October 1.
Deputy Minister Fuziah Salleh said the notice was issued yesterday and that the company was required to respond because an unreasonable price increase could burden consumers.
“Gardenia must respond to the notice within six days because we want to know all the associated costs, including the price of the flour used, transportation costs, and wholesale and retail prices. The entire supply chain needs to be explained,” she said.
Fuziah said this after attending the Tg Lumpur state constituency Mobile Rahmah Sale at the Pinggiran Putra People’s Housing Project here today.
She said that after receiving Gardenia KL’s explanation, the ministry would conduct a thorough tally to determine if the increase in the price of food items was reasonable or justifiable.
Fuziah said the ministry cannot prevent a company from raising its prices, but it can be controlled through the Price Control and Anti-Profitability Act.
Previously, Gardenia KL, through a media statement, confirmed that 30 of its products would see a price increase of between 10 and 40 sen after reviewing the prices of selected items.
However, the bread manufacturer said the price of white bread, whole wheat (wholemeal) bread, and Toast’em bread would remain unchanged to ensure that the increase does not burden the majority of customers.
Today, as part of the Mobile Rahmah Sale programme, two trucks carrying food and basic necessities with a subsidised value of RM34,000 were placed in the area to make them more accessible to the public. – September 28, 2023