THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Occidental will start distributing new suggested retail prices (SRPs) for Noche Buena products among major retailers in the province Friday, November 11.
Reginald Hudierez, senior trade and industry development specialist of DTI-Negros Occidental, said on Thursday the new SRPs issued by DTI Central Office are effective from October 31 onwards.
Hudierez said the DTI targets to fully distribute copies of SRPs to supermarkets and big grocery stores in the province, particularly Bacolod City, until next week as buyers are seen to start increasing by that time.
Noche Buena products under DTI monitoring include ham, fruit cocktail, cheese, mayonnaise, keso de bola, pasta spaghetti, elbow and salad macaroni, spaghetti and tomato sauce, and creamer.
“Non-compliance with SRPs, regardless on the amount of overpricing, will serve as basis for DTI to call the attention of erring establishments and charge them for profiteering,” Hudierez said.
Penalties will be identified based on the assessment to be conducted by the agency considering factors like prevailing market situation and distance of retailers from the product sources, among others, he added.
Based on the SRPs issued by DTI, prices of ham range from P135 to P845.75 depending on brand and net weight.
For fruit cocktails: P45.65 to P204; cheese – P44.50 to P588.50; sandwich spread – P18 to P196; mayonnaise – P27 to P245; keso de bola – P149.60 to P445; pasta spaghetti – P15.25 to P87.10; elbow and salad macaroni – P15.25 to P93.45; spaghetti sauce – P18.70 to P81; tomato sauce – P41.65 to P67.50; and creamer – P41.65 to P67.50.
Like ham, prices of these products also depend on the brand and net weight.
Major establishments are required to post copies of SRPs in their respective stores.
Aside from making sure that SRPs are visible, DTI-Negros Occidental, through the monitoring officers, will also intensify regular price monitoring as well as inspection of product standards and fair trade law compliance of the establishments.
Consumers are advised to also examine the expiry date and the price tag of products prior to purchase, and carefully check and compare the weights of competing brands.
DTI said they must ensure that the items’ shelf price and the price at the cashier are the same. If prices differ, consumers should pay the lesser amount, it added.