Facua-Consumer in Action confirmed that it regrets that the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, “has chosen to align with the interests of large corporations that inflate their profit margins and refuse to act in the face of rising prices.”
According to this organization, the minister revealed this on Monday during the meeting of the Food Chain Observatory, where he confirmed that all the price increases that occurred in foodstuffs during the past year are the result of the increase in cost, without that. And in no way will it refer to increases in margins by major manufacturers and distribution chains..
However, Planas did not base his claims on any data regarding alleged point-of-sale price tracking that his department announced in January. Vaqua considered it a “joke”. The minister announced again yesterday that he would monitor the development of pricesAlmost two months after the VAT reduction came into effect.
In this regard, the organization Remember, an analysis this organization conducted at the beginning of February shows that nearly one in five foods has raised its prices Regarding those who at the end of December deducted a VAT reduction. Thus, out of 1020 prices evaluated by the association in eight large distribution chains, 178 became more expensive.
“Food prices have reached a cap,” Fakwa wonders, as Planas mentioned. He points out that, in fact, “large multinationals such as Nestlé, Unilever, Heineken and Coca-Cola have announced that they will apply further increases.” In light of this, the association reiterates its demand for the government to implement the Trade Law of 1996 and to set maximum prices for basic foods.
Vaqua finds it “unfortunate” that the Minister entrusts himself to the benevolence of large companies by asking them to transfer cost reductions to prices instead of taking regulatory measures that protect the interests of consumers.The fiscal populism of lowering the VAT had very little impact on the shopping cartOh, and this is becoming more and more diminished, given that the absence of disciplinary action leads to an increasing breach of the obligation to freeze prices unless there are cost increases.
In this sense, the The organization deplores the “negativity” of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), which continues without responding to complaints. The association brought it against eight large distribution chains.