Pastries, bakery – illustrative photo.
Prague – The prices of baked goods should decrease in the second half of this year as the prices of energy or flour for bakers gradually decrease. Agriculture Minister Zdeněk Nekula (KDU-ČSL) told journalists today. In April this year, he said he wanted to focus on why bakers were not cutting prices. On Monday, he met with the Association of Bakers and Confectioners to discuss the development of the market situation.
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According to the minister, some bakeries fixed the price of energy for several months and did not buy so-called on the spot. “This means that it can be expected within the horizon of a few months that the reduced prices of energy, as well as wheat and flour, will also affect bakers,” he said.
Nekula repeated today that people should shop in discount events . The customer should maintain flexibility and compare the prices of traders. “By purposefully buying comparable goods cheaper, they will force the store to lower prices,” he added. Nekula had also previously criticized the chains for high food prices. However, in its investigation into the prices of milk, butter, eggs, flour and chicken, the Antimonopoly Office did not find any violation of economic competition.
According to Nekula, the market situation was distorted last year and at the beginning of this year and people “should not be influenced what he calls quasi-discounts.” He spoke about those earlier, for example, in the case when sugar krystal was offered in a discount sale for CZK 32.90 and the price without the discount was CZK 39.90. According to Nekula, it was not a discount, because the price in the event was the normal price.
He himself turned to the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition (ÚOHS) and the Czech Trade Inspectorate (ČOI). Also, the inspection has not yet revealed any signs of violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
