AN ERROR on the part of staff led to the incorrect labelling of a melongene at a Massy Stores branch earlier in the week according to Massy Stores CEO Roxanne de Freitas on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a photo of a melongene for sale at a Massy Stores branch with a price tag of $75, was circulated on social media.

Users ridiculed the supermarket chain and questioned how they arrived at this exorbitant price for the vegetable.

Speaking with reporters after the opening of Massy Stores's new San Juan branch, de Freitas said she was aware of the issue and added it was due to a mistake while labelling the goods.

She noted the prices on the items were readjusted after it was brought to their attention.

"What happened as soon as it was brought to our attention the products were all removed and the reality is we made a mistake with the pricing on that product. So the product was removed, it was re-priced and replaced.

"At Massy Stores we turn over goods very quickly and very fast so what happens is we would have bought the goods, we would have bought them at a higher price, we would have put them out and I would say we made a mistake on that price.

"It was addressed, the good thing about social media is these things come to light very fast and we can treat with it.

"I would say a mistake was made on the price and we have adjusted the price and yes we are sorry for any distress caused by that, that is certainly not the Massy way of doing business and sometimes like anything else we don't always get it right."

De Freitas said she was unable to say how much the melongene was sold for at the moment but noted the produce were priced per kilogram.

She added that while the price on the melongene was incorrect she was aware of the concerns surrounding food prices but noted that the number of different supermarkets in TT acted as a regulator against price gouging.

"I can say to you Trinidad and Tobago has one of the fiercest supermarket industry in the Caribbean if you go around the Caribbean you would see there are much larger monopolies.

"So Massy Stores we have 23 stores and we may be the largest chain but our market is a very fragmented market with many players, so that alone regulates the industry and regulates the competitiveness of the industry."

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