Will there be a price hike for bread in 2026? The President of the Turkish Bakers Federation explains

Halil İbrahim Balcı, President of the Turkish Bakers Federation, held a press conference regarding bread and simit prices, as well as the challenges faced by bakers, with only a few days left until the new year. Speaking at the press conference held at the federation building, Balcı addressed flour and yeast prices, which influence bread pricing, and the issue of bread returns by supermarket chains.

Referring to the amendment made to Article 62 of the Tradesmen Law No. 5362, in accordance with Law No. 7571 published in the Official Gazette on December 25, Balcı stated the following:

"With this law, it has become mandatory for price tariffs prepared by unions and approved after the ministry's review to be finalized by the unions only after receiving a positive opinion from the ministry for the products in question. In other words, simit and bread prices in provinces will be issued and put into effect by the union only after receiving a positive opinion from the Ministry of Trade.

If there is no positive opinion from the Ministry of Trade, the matter will be referred to a conciliation commission in the provinces. The conciliation commission consists of 6 people. Under the chairmanship of the Governor or Deputy Governor, it is composed of the Provincial Directorate of Trade, the Defterdarlık (local tax office), the municipality, the chamber of commerce, and the chambers of tradesmen. The decision made by this conciliation commission will put the bread or simit prices into effect. We have already been working in mutual dialogue with the Ministry of Trade while determining bread prices until today.

The Ministry of Trade has been in constant dialogue with our federation regarding the determination of bread and simit prices, showing the same sensitivity it shows to all our tradesmen and artisans. With this law, it has now become a matter of written law. We demand that the price of our basic input, at least the price of bread-making flour, also be determined by law, alongside the requirement for ministry approval for bread and simit prices, which are otherwise subject to free market inputs. This would be more equitable.

Otherwise, in terms of implementation, nothing changes. We have no concerns about this. The Turkish Bakers Federation has always determined bread prices by consulting with relevant boards and maintaining dialogue. Following our tradition rooted in the Ahi order, we have always upheld the principles of treating everyone equally, being fair, and considering the consumer. In other words, both we as the Federation and the Ministry have managed to reach the current bread prices—the basic food item of our people—through consultation and sensitivity."

"WE ARE NOT PLANNING A PRICE HIKE FOR BREAD IN 2026"

Comparing the price hike rates of previous years, Balcı said, "We see that in 2023, with the support provided by the Ministry of Agriculture for flour prices, the price of bread increased by 17.5 percent within a year. In other words, we clearly see that if there is an improvement in flour prices and no significant increase, this is reflected in the bread prices set by bakers. Looking at bread prices in 2024, we see that the increase remained limited to 25 percent.

Since there was no change in bread prices in the last 6 months of 2024 up until January, we see that this price increase in 2025 occurred at a rate of 25 percent. So, in total, our average comes to 30 percent. If we take 2024 and 2025 as a base, the annual average comes to 37.5 percent. In 2026, in order to meet the figures set by our Ministry of Finance regarding the fight against inflation, and despite the increase in our employees' wages due to the rise in the minimum wage, we are not planning to make any changes to the price of bread, which is the basic food of our people, and we want to enter 2026 with good news, even though flour prices have risen from 900 lira to the 1,000 lira band and yeast prices have risen from 600 lira to 975 lira.

As of today, the price per kilogram of bread applied across the country since the 8th month will not exceed 75 lira. Our provinces that are below 75 lira and have not reflected the price difference for 4 months may do so. But from the 8th month onwards, for example, in İzmir, Bursa, Ankara, Istanbul, Kocaeli, Sakarya, and many other provinces, the applied price will continue to be the same 75 lira," he said.

Touching upon the scale of bread waste, Balcı said, "One of the biggest problems of the sector, and at the same time a problem for our people and the country, is bread waste. 6 million 100 thousand loaves of bread are wasted every day. This directly affects the earnings of the bakers. When you take 150 loaves of bread to a chain supermarket today, if you take back 40 or 50 of them as returns, it is impossible for our tradesmen to conduct business.

Therefore, chain supermarkets need to get their act together quickly on this issue. If chain supermarkets do not carry out the necessary work regarding these bread returns, sanctions will be inevitable. We cannot reduce bread waste, nor can we ensure the sustainability of our bakers' earnings. You can raise the price of bread as much as you want. If you are taking back 50 out of the 150 loaves you delivered, you are not trading 50 loaves there. It means there is no trade. Therefore, it is not possible to fix this excessive bread return issue with laws or regulations alone. Chain supermarkets will eliminate this negativity themselves. They will either eliminate it or eliminate it. It is not possible to reach a solution without fixing this," he said.

News Source: İHA