Consumer Rights Activist exposes profit-making tricks of bakeries

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Bakery owners could make around 100 percent profit even if they sell a loaf of bread at Rs 100, Consumer Rights Activist Asela Sampath claimed yesterday.

Sampath said that the wholesale price of a kilo of wheat flour was between 180 and 210 rupees.

“A loaf of bread weighs 450 grams. We don’t only use flour for the bread and three to four loaves can be produced from a kilo of flour,” he said.

Sampath said that bakery owners had reduced the price of bread by Rs 10 following a request from the Minister of Trade.

“A loaf of bread is sold at various prices. A few days ago, I revealed that there were bakeries who sold a loaf of bread at Rs 100. At some places they sell a loaf of bread at over Rs 300. The Trade Ministry must come up with a maximum retail price for food items like bread,” he said.

Sampath said that the Ministry of Trade or other government agencies had done nothing to help the consumers and were in cahoots with errant traders.