Bread Manufacturers Warned Against False Weight And Expiry Dates

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has put manufacturers of bread on its radar for perpetrating consumer abuse by providing false expiry dates and issuing less bread than the weight indicated on the wrapper.

Many bread manufacturers were found to have committed manufacturing dates on bread wrappers in the prescribed format with others omitting the applicable month in the expiry dates. Others failed to provide the weight of their bread products and ingredients.

“Specifically, the undertakings were not providing the manufacturing date/month on their bread wrappers in the prescribed format while others were printing them illegibly on the seals. In other cases, the manufacturers omitted the applicable month in the expiry dates,” said CAK.

Some have meanwhile marketed their bread products as fortified but have failed to specify nutrients or vitamins used. Others have misled consumers that their products contained milk or butter whereas they did not.

“These actions amount to making false and misleading representations to consumers of goods and services and are in contravention of sections of the Competition Act. Further, the bread manufacturers were not adhering to product information standards as prescribed by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS),” CAK said.

The bread manufacturers have been asked to take remedial measures including compliance with requirements such as providing a list of ingredients and the net weight of products in grams.

“To ensure compliance with the Order, the Authority hereby requires and orders all bread manufacturers in Kenya to adhere to the above requirements with immediate effect. The Authority shall continuously undertake spot-checks to establish compliance with ALL the directives,” the Authority said.