Case Of Abnormal Kingsmil Kubwa Bread

Recently, Bakers sliced bread prices by Sh5 on the stiff competition by supermarket in-store bakeries, hurting their profit margins in the wake of the prevailing high global cost of wheat.

The price of bread in the in-store bakeries has been cheaper by an average Sh5 since April when rival bakers raised their prices in a fresh attempt to pass the additional cost in the price of wheat to consumers.

The in-store bakeries did not adjust their prices — titling the scale as price-sensitive consumers opted for the cheaper products. Spooked by the consumer shift, bakers have now lowered their prices to keep up with the competition.

400g  loaf of Superloaf and Festive is now retailing at Sh50 from Sh55 previously with 800-gramme Festive brand selling at Sh92 from Sh100, depending on the point of purchase — and also Selecta and Kingsmill “Kubwa wako” who are small fish bakers in the market lowering their prices but with increased exaggerated abnormal quantities than a standard 400g bread, sparking mixed reactions from concerned consumers in curiosity questioning the ingredients used which makes their quantity size be outstanding abnormally in a bid to attract price sensitive and quantity enthusiasts of bread.

Selecta and Kingsmill are new entrants into the market and are up and about marketing every left, right and center boasting of a quantity size over other competitors like hybrid chicken get plumbed with harmful chemicals to fatten in a nick of time to cop up with market demand— this could be the situation in size matter campaign of these two baking companies. 

Definitely Kingsmill and Selecta aren’t counting losses from their big sized bread products as they appear 600g bread being sold at 400g market price. They aren’t on a charity mission. They’re are literally either using harmful chemicals, ingredients under the watch of KEBS — targeting low income majority groups in Kenya who are price sensitive and quantity enthusiasts.

However, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has constantly absolved itself from the issue and instead shifted it to the weights and measures department.

‘‘Thank you for being a keen observer. @KEBS_ke is mainly concerned with the quality of the bread as our mandate. Matters weight is the mandate of the weights and measures department.”

The deal is just too sweet which Kenyans ought to think twice. Consumers aren’t protected at all when such gamble is tolerated and not investigated in the wake of rising cases of cancer in Kenya.

Quality must be over quantity. Competition Authority of Kenya together with Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) must come with a regulation to control these kind of market malice to level the field for fair play. Cofek and CAK must protect the health of the consumers, must confirm the products of these two brands: Kingsmill and Selecta are of standard in terms of quantity for fair play with other competitors and not foul play. Because those paying the price after falling prey is the consumers.