By: Haruna Kuyateh
The Consumer Protection Consortium (CPC), a non-profit civil society organization committed to safeguarding consumer rights in The Gambia, has raised serious concerns over the quality and weight of bread supplied to consumers in rural areas following a recent nationwide consultation tour.
The CPC’s five-day engagement covered area councils in Kerewan, Kuntaur, Janjanbureh, Basse, and Mansakonko, and included public radio talk shows aimed at raising awareness of consumer rights and promoting the establishment of consumer shops and community bakeries at the ward and district levels.
During the outreach, CPC President Alpha O. Jallow revealed that many bakeries in rural Gambia are failing to meet agreed bread weight standards, following the official price increase from D10 to D12. Spot checks showed widespread non-compliance among bakers, many of whom are unaware of the Bakers’ Association and the standardization agreement reached with the Ministry of Trade and relevant stakeholders.
“Consumers are paying for underweight bread, which is a clear violation of their rights,” Jallow said, calling for the use of digital weighing scales and regular monitoring of bakeries to ensure compliance.
CPC commended Jah Oil Bakery in Basse for maintaining proper standards, with ‘Senfurr’ bread weighing an average of 220 grams at D10 and 240 grams at D15, and similar compliance noted in Bansang.
However, the organization noted that many bakeries across the country are selling Tapalapa and Senfurr bread weighing below the minimum agreed weights — with Tapalapa ranging from 165 to 190 grams and Senfurr from 133 to 160 grams.
Jallow also highlighted the broader CPC mission, which includes advocating for the establishment of community-level consumer shops to provide access to affordable, quality goods. The organization has appealed to local councils and ward councilors to support this initiative by working closely with Village and Ward Development Committees.
The CPC also aims to conduct further research on pricing and quality trends in local markets, raise awareness on unsafe food practices (such as adulterated or expired products), and collaborate with authorities to protect consumers across key sectors including food, medicine, electricity, water, and telecom services.
The radio outreach programs were broadcast via Nuimi FM (Essau), North Bank Community Radio (Kerewan and Farafenni), and stations in Bansang, Brikama Ba, Soma, and GRTS Basse are all helping to amplify CPC’s message to rural audiences.
Jallow concluded with a call for a coordinated stakeholder dialogue on cement pricing and broader trade fairness, while reaffirming CPC’s commitment to ensuring consumer welfare through advocacy, regulation, and community empowerment.