Nutrimix says bulk flour prices will not decrease

NUTRIMIX Flour Mills has said the price of bulk flour will not be reduced at this time. Nutrimix representative Vashti Bowlah told Newsday the price reduction announced on May 10 was intended to benefit retail customers.

Bowlah said though the price of larger flour packages were not reduced, the company is always revisiting prices to see how it can best share savings with all customers.

“What we would usually do is offer special prices to bakeries. However, with this particular decrease, we wanted it to reach our retail consumers. This is the type of products our consumers would purchase – our two kg and ten kg. We wanted whatever decrease in wheat prices to trickle down to housewives and those who go directly into the supermarket.

"We regularly review our prices – for example, when we do price promotions throughout the year we ensure our bakeries, industrial customers and wholesalers also benefit from these prices.”

On the company's decision not to reduce bulk flour prices, Bowlah said “While we are always looking for ways to reduce and offer better prices on our entire range of products. As of now, that is where we stand until we look at the bulk prices again.”

In a Newsday report on May 12, popular bakery owners said they were awaiting any potential decrease in the 100lb and 45kg packages.

Chee Mooke Bakery human resources manager Nathalie Phillips said her company benefits from bulk prices but was waiting for news of any decrease that affected it. Puff N’ Stuff CEO George Laing said his sales representatives and accounts managers were on alert for any price changes in the coming week as they did not buy the items that were reduced.

Last week, Nutrimix said the prices of its Country Pride and Nutrimix Premium Grade two-kilogramme (kg) and ten-kg range of flour would be reduced. It said Country Pride two-kg and ten-kg Baker's Flour would be reduced by 17 per cent, two-kg All Purpose by eight per cent and ten-kg by 13 per cent. Its cake and whole wheat flour two-kg bags, were reduced by five per cent. Nutrimix Premium Grade Flour, two-kg and ten-kg, were reduced by nine and ten per cent, respectively.

Nutrimix said, “This reduction is due to several factors, including the global decrease in wheat prices and shipping costs, our improved internal systems and controls, and our initiatives to increase the efficiency of our operations while reducing milling and processing costs.”