Mumbai: After fuel, milk and precious metals, inflation has now reached Mumbai’s breakfast table, with bread manufacturers increasing prices across several categories.
According to the report, bread prices in Mumbai have gone up by around ₹5 from May 16. The hike covers sandwich bread, whole wheat bread, multigrain bread and brown bread, among other bakery products. The 400-gram sandwich bread now costs ₹45 instead of ₹40, while whole wheat bread has risen from ₹55 to ₹60. Multigrain bread has also become costlier, moving from ₹60 to ₹65. Smaller packs of brown and white bread have also seen an increase.
The price rise comes amid a broader inflationary pressure triggered by rising fuel costs and higher input expenses. The report said petrol and diesel prices have been raised twice within five days, pushing up transportation costs. Bakery owners have also cited a jump in the cost of plastic packaging material, much of which is imported. A weaker rupee has made such imports more expensive, adding to the production burden.
The impact is likely to be felt most by Mumbai’s working population, students and daily wage earners, many of whom depend on pav, sandwiches, vada pav, misal pav and other bread-based food items for breakfast. With bread becoming costlier, the prices of these daily snacks may also move upward.
For a city that runs on quick, affordable meals, even a small increase in bread prices can pinch household budgets. Bakers say they were forced to pass on part of the rising cost to consumers, but the final burden will now fall on the common man’s pocket.