The Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry announces that, on the occasion of the increased prices of fruit and vegetables recorded recently by the Price Observatory of the Consumer Protection Service, as well as publications of previous days on the subject, it has carried out on-site inspections and meetings both at group level producers as well as in fruit shops and supermarkets.
From the Service's investigation it emerged that in some cases an unreasonably increased retail price for fruits and vegetables is observed, which is mainly due to the practice followed up until now to set the retail price of fruit and vegetables by suppliers, on a daily basis. Consequently, during the contacts made, strict instructions were given by the Consumer Protection Service to all involved bodies to immediately end this practice, which resulted in their compliance from 1.8.2024. The purpose of the Service is to ensure conditions of healthy competition and price determination based on free market conditions, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding the financial interests of consumers.
In this context, the Consumer Protection Service, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, will intensify the prescribed checks on the market at all levels, to eliminate any unfair practices at the expense of consumers.
