Petroleum products increased by 9,1% compared to the previous month and agricultural products by 6,1% due to the effects of the war in the Middle East, which was the reason for the increase in food inflation to 3,8% compared to 2,7% in the previous month, according to the Consumer Goods Observatory for the month of March 2026.
It is also noted that the largest positive change at the level of economic categories, compared to March 2025, was recorded by agricultural products with +13,3%, services with +2,5% and petroleum products with +2,3%, while a negative change of -13,0% was observed in electricity and water.
The Consumer Protection Service's announcement also states that the valuation made for the month of March reflects the price trend recorded by the Statistical Service, with an increase in the annual inflation rate to +1,2% compared to +0,1% in February and +0,5% in January.
In relation to the prices of basic consumer products for March, the Observatory shows an increase in 33 categories compared to February 2026 and a decrease in 12 categories.
The increases and decreases
Specifically, an increase compared to the previous month was recorded for frozen fish by +13,9% (+21,7% compared to March 2025), cold cuts by +10,1% (+9,5% compared to March 2025), evaporated and sweetened milk by 8,1% (+4,1% compared to March 2025), frozen breaded and pre-cooked fish by +7,8% (-15,2% compared to March 2025), juices by +7,3% (+11,1% compared to March 2025), canned meat by +7,1% (+10,7% compared to March 2025), bottled water by 6,8% (+5,0% compared to March 2025), frozen breaded and pre-cooked meat by +6,7% (+7,9% compared to March 2025), the cylinder LPG by +6,3% (+12,5% compared to March 2025), frozen burgers by +6,2% (+8,7% compared to March 2025), soft drinks by +5,3% (+8,4% compared to March 2025), fresh vegetables and herbs by +4,6% (+22,6% compared to March 2025), oils by +4,5% (+3,7% compared to March 2025), and frozen pasta by +4,3% (+2,1% compared to March 2025).
At the same time, 12 categories recorded a decrease compared to the previous month, the most important of which were canned fish by -12,8% (-11,5% compared to March 2025), fresh fish and mollusks by -11,0% (+3,7% compared to March 2025), rice by -9,0% (-11,2% compared to March 2025), cheese by -3,3% (-4,4% compared to March 2025), legumes by -2,9% (-2,0% compared to March 2025), bread by -1,3% (+1,6% compared to March 2025), sanitary napkins by -1,3% (+0,2% compared to March 2025), toilet paper by -0,9% (-0,9% compared to March 2025), and biscuits by -0,9% (+2,9% compared to March 2025).
It is noted that the Observatory presents the weighted average price for 250 basic consumer products (food and other products), based on the quantities and prices per day, at which these products were sold in 400 retail stores nationwide throughout the month.
The difference between the most expensive and cheapest basket is €122,42
In relation to supermarket price comparisons for products included in the digital platform "e-kalathi" which records products common to seven large supermarkets, it appears that the difference in the value of the "basket of 257 absolutely common products" is decreasing between supermarkets. Specifically, as can be seen, on 15/4/2026, the difference between the most expensive supermarket "Filippos" (€1.136,26) and the cheapest "Athienitis" (€1.013,84) stood at €122,42, compared to €131,61 the previous month (a decrease of 12,1%), even though the basket then included 253 products.
It is noted that the number of absolutely common products gradually increased from 228 on 10/15/2025 to 257 on 4/15/2026, while the ranking of supermarkets has partially diversified in the last month.
Furthermore, the Service calls on consumers to utilize the e-Kalathi platform and the relevant application for mobile devices, in order to make more informed and advantageous purchases, while it is recalled that the Observatory's analytical data is available on the Consumer Protection Service website.
SOURCE: CIPE
