Bread scam in Albania: “Don’t buy bread after 5 p.m.” — Seller reveals the reason

A disturbing testimony has shaken the Albanian public, shedding light on a widespread but little-known practice in bakeries. An anonymous seller working at a bakery revealed on social media that bread which is no longer fresh is resold as if it had just come out of the oven. This revelation has sparked debate about quality, honesty, and the consumer’s right to know what they are buying.

According to the seller, bread baked early in the morning that remains unsold during the day is not thrown away or recorded as waste. Instead, it is often put back on sale in the afternoon using the simple trick of “reheating.”

“There are cases when bread that didn’t sell in the morning isn’t discarded. It’s just warmed a little and placed back on the shelves, often in the same bags it came in before. This happens more when sales are low,” she wrote, exposing the deception.

At first glance, bread taken from the shelves after 5 p.m. looks fresh from the oven, warm, steaming, and with a smell easily confused with that of freshly baked bread. But in reality, it may have been sitting on the shelf for hours or even leftover stock from the previous day.

“They warm it a bit in the oven or place it in refrigerators set to heating mode to produce steam. The customer thinks it just came out of the oven, but it’s bread that has gone beyond the normal daily turnover,” the testimony continued.

Although this practice does not pose a direct health risk, concerns are raised regarding quality, honesty, and the consumer’s right to know what they purchase. For a staple product like bread — consumed daily by every Albanian family — the expectation for freshness and quality is minimal but essential.

“There’s no health risk, but it’s a matter of ethics. People buy warm bread because they think it’s fresh. They don’t know it’s reheated to avoid waste,” the seller emphasized.

Comments following the post show that this phenomenon is not isolated. Some social media users admitted to having similar suspicions, especially on rainy days or weekends when foot traffic is lower and afternoon shelves are “mysteriously” refilled with warm bread.

Meanwhile, with a lack of proper controls for this type of manipulation, food safety experts advise customers to check the bread’s moisture, elasticity, and crust — as these are some of the signs distinguishing freshly baked bread from reheated bread. The Albanian food code requires accurate labeling and proper consumer information, but bakery products often lack labels, placing responsibility on the conscience of the sellers.

This sincere denunciation by a bakery seller has opened a quiet debate about transparency in Albania’s bread industry. Despite the absence of direct health risks, people have the right to know whether the bread they buy is truly fresh or simply carefully reheated to maintain the appearance of freshness. In a market where consumers are not always protected, this honest voice serves as a reminder to demand more honesty, quality, and respect in the products we consume every day.

“KORÇA BOOM”