The soaring prices of garlic and ginger – driven by demand amid claims that they may help with Covid-19 symptoms – have attracted the attention of the Competition Commission.
The commission’s spokesperson, Siyabulela Makunga, said the commission had noted with concern the public outcry regarding the increased prices.
The commission appreciated that the demand for garlic and ginger had gone up, but was of the view that the retail prices of these food items had increased astronomically, Makunga said.
‘We don’t think that the increased demand in ginger justified a price increase of up to R400 a kilogram,’ Makunga said.
Makunga added that with sufficient evidence it was likely to investigate and prosecute cases where it believed the Competition Act had been contravened.
Woolworths said, ‘Ginger’s increased demand and limited local supply has resulted in the need for importing this product, increasing costs and therefore, increasing the retail selling price’.
Pick ‘n Pay said in a statement: ‘Ginger is currently in very high demand. Ginger is currently out of season, and retailers are having to import the product at higher prices to meet the demand for customers. Our corporate stores are currently selling ginger for R189,99 per kg and we are working very hard to meet increased demand while keeping our prices as low as possible.’
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no evidence that eating garlic can protect people against Covid-19.
Eating lots of it may, however, lead to greater social distancing.
[Picture: Brett Hondow from Pixabay]