Consumer Association Calls for More Transparency in Food Prices

Consumer protection chief Ramona Pop from the Federal Association criticizes the lack of transparency in food prices. An observatory at the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food is to analyze prices and costs along the supply chain to uncover unfair practices and protect customers from excessively high food prices.

The consumer association demands that the federal government shed light on the price setting based on a feasibility analysis. The demand comes as complaints about high prices have increased, and the rising cost of groceries has become a burden for many with low incomes.

The aim is to bring more transparency to the pricing of food products, identify and address unfair practices. The establishment of a price observation agency is seen as a way to achieve this goal.

Other countries such as Spain and France have already implemented similar systems, and studies have shown that the necessary data is available. However, there is a need to close existing data gaps and ensure a robust and efficient technical infrastructure to handle the large amount of data.