Grieving over rising production costs, local bread producers asked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for a P4 increase on their known products, specifically the Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal.
Meanwhile, thousands of other community bakers are waiting for the decision being cooked up in DTI that any approved bread price hike will cascade down among these independent small-time bakeries.
According to Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) President Jerry Lao, in a media interview, said they had met with the DTI about their request for a P4-price hike for Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal.
The PhilBaking official said they expected the price adjustment to be reflected in the latest list of suggested retail prices (SRP) which the DTI is expected to release anytime this week.
But, DTI’s consumer protection unit has not yet responded to the PhilBaking request for price increase.
The Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal are brands produced through a joint effort between a bakers group and the DTI, to provide affordable bread for the public.
The group of bakers includes makers of popular brands like Gardenia, French Baker, Marby, Uncle George’s, and Tiffany’s.
Meanwhile, Lucito Chavez, president of the Asosasyon ng Panaderong Pilipino (Association of Filipino Bakers) expressed support for the P4 price hike of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal, saying these brands were being used as barometers for the price of bread produced by small-time bakers.
There are about 50,000 small community bakeries nationwide, with at least seven people working in one community bakery.