Nutrimix Flour Mills is now announcing that its flour prices are set to rise on Tuesday.
The increase will come into effect one day after the National Flour Mills (NFM) also raises its flour prices.
In a release yesterday, Nutrimix stated, “Global wheat prices and shipping have more than doubled over the last two years. There have also been increases in packaging, distribution and other vital inputs, and we cannot continue to absorb these increases. As a result, Nutrimix will be increasing its prices of flour, effective Tuesday 4th January, 2022, and wish to remind the public that our prices did not increase for the last 14 years.”
Nutrimix said its team worked hard to minimise the effect of adjustments on households. The company noted that a 2 Kg and 10Kg All-Purpose Flour, most commonly used in the home for bread and roti, will see an 8 per cent and 14 per cent increase respectively, 45 kg Bakers and Ultra Gluten Flour, most widely used by bakeries, commercial and industrial sectors, will see a 1 per cent to 14 per cent increase while increases in retail size packaging for their various types of flour will range between 8 per cent to 20 per cent.
Noting that the Nutrimix team has been serving T&T for over 40 years, the company stated, “Our people, every one of our 500 employees, take their responsibilities seriously. We adhere to the strictest quality controls in every aspect of production so that you can take care of your family with peace of mind. We hope to continue to provide the nourishment that helps you and your family pursue your goals and dreams. May 2022 be a safe, healthy and productive year for all the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
NFM had initially announced a 19 per cent increase but it was drawn back to 10 per cent after an intervention by the Ministry of Trade.
Following NFM’s announcement, the Kiss Baking Company issued a statement saying that bread and associated flour-based products would be increased by 9 per cent.
In response to NFM’s flour price increases, the Ministry of Trade stated that its Consumer Affairs Division would continue to monitor the price of all-purpose flour and the increase in the retail price of this item. The Ministry added, “While flour is the main ingredient in a range of food items, it is not the only one and it is expected that the increase in the wholesale price of flour should not concomitantly translate into a similar increase in the price of final products. In this regard, businesses utilising flour as the main ingredient in their products as well as supermarkets are requested to constrain any increase in the mark-up of retail prices as far as possible.”