A new report has shown that food prices in Barbados and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states increased during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with prices jumping as high as 14 per cent at the end of last year in Bridgetown, when compared to March 2020 when the pandemic started to affect the island.This was highlighted in the Report on Food Prices During the COVID-19 Pandemic, prepared by the CARICOM Competition Commission.The commission noted that food prices collected through its price survey were for a basket of goods deemed essential during the pandemic.These included corned beef, salt fish with bone, tuna, canned mackerel, bottled water, eggs, cheese, milk, cooking oil, rice, biscuits, red beans, yeast, tomato ketchup, salt, sugar, garlic, masks, gloves, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, matches, candles, batteries, baby diapers and toilet paper.This comes as the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) this week expressed concern that Barbadians have been suffering from “an exponential rise” in the cost of living and have not yet benefited from a cap on prices for several food and household supermarket items that started in July 2022 and is to end next month.
