Apparently there is a shortage of bread. Let me put that again – there is an artificial shortage of bread.
Several friends have posted on social media or told me over the phone that they have difficulty buying bread as it seems sold out everywhere.
My family is lucky because we managed to get a couple of loaves a few days ago. It should last us for a couple more days.
While it’s not a disaster situation as yet, major bread manufacturer Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn Bhd saw it serious enough to issue three statements in a week.
The first was on March 17, a day before the start of the Movement Control Order (MCO). It had then said that operations and distribution of its products would be as usual.
Yesterday, a second statement was issued, telling the public that its factories were at full capacity and production could not be increased.
This morning a third statement was issued, obviously to calm nerves because we know how many people go into panic mode by just seeing a few “key words” like “production cannot be increased”.
In the latest statement, Gardenia affirmed its commitment to continue production and urged the public to remain calm and just buy for normal consumption.
Other bread manufacturers would probably be in the same boat.
For a major bread manufacturer to issue two statements barely 20 hours of one another shows that there is a bigger underlying issue –thoughtlessness.
Please just buy what you need.
The shelf life for bread is only five to seven days. You don’t need a truckload “just in case”. The bread will expire anyway. Don’t hoard.
Some people, in the fear of going hungry, are making the real hungry ones starve.
Bread is a staple for many poor families. Two pieces dipped in some leftover gravy and that’s lunch for them.
They can’t even afford kaya or butter. Don’t deprive them of even that “luxury” by causing an artificial shortage.
