NGO calls out supermarket pricing abuse

Massive supermarket price hikes in a handful of days have spurred FACUA to launch a new app for comparing prices.

FACUA, Consumers in Action is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation dedicated to the defence of consumer rights who are calling out supermarkets for what they see as abusive price hikes, including a 70% increase in oil prices in the last fortnight.

Oil prices hit an all-time high in 2021 in part due to the drought, in part due to the war in Ukraine. Consumers accuse the big supermarket chains of an abusive pricing policy since the government reduced VAT on a list essential items, such as oil. The government has defended the supermarkets by saying that they are within the margins allowed by the National Commission of Competition and Markets, but FACUA claim that there are still shops with disproportionate prices.

For this reason, the consumer organisation has launched a website where shoppers can monitor price variations by day, fortnight and month. And it is a fascinating tool to try out. The website can be accessed at super.facua.org.

Secretary General of FACUA, Rubén Sánchez said, ‘This is a tool that we offer to empower consumers. The goal is for us all to become market watchdogs and to know who, how much and when price increases to food are applied.’ Consumers can also check the price of milk which the consumer group also claim has experienced wild fluctuations in recent weeks.