GVH: The Price Watchdog also keeps food prices under control

In February 2026, consumer prices exceeded those from a year earlier by an average of 1.4 percent, increasing by an average of 0.1 percent in a month, the Central Statistical Office reported on Tuesday morning. The last time such low inflation was measured in Hungary was at the end of 2016, almost 10 years ago. Compared to the data from a year earlier, food prices increased by 0.2 percent, and even decreased by 3.2 percent without catering services. Within the product group, the price of margarine decreased by 32.3, that of canned meat by 26.9, that of butter and buttercream by 19.8, that of potatoes by 19.7, that of lard by 19.5, that of dairy products (excluding cheese) by 18.8, that of milk by 17.0, and that of flour by 14.9 percent in February 2026.

The Hungarian Competition Authority – in cooperation with the Government – ​​launched the online Price Monitoring System on July 1, 2023, initially with 62 monitored product categories. The system, available at www.arfigyelo.gvh.hu, is under continuous development and expansion, as a result of which it is now possible to track the daily changing prices of more than 5,000 food and household products in 140 product categories in six national retail chains and three national drugstore chains, a total of 1,817 stores.

The online Price Monitor includes practically all food products – meats, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, baked goods, and non-perishable foods – that are the ingredients and raw materials of the dishes that will be on the festive table during the Easter period. Thus, by using the system operated by the GVH, Hungarian families can save money and time during their Easter shopping. In addition, from the summer of 2025, the daily updated prices of various household and hygiene products can also be tracked in the Price Monitor.

The GVH previously determined that the effect of the Price Monitor was to reduce the gross margin of retailers in the system on dairy products by approximately 10% points. According to the calculations of the Makronom Institute, the system saved Hungarian households nearly 20 billion forints in three months in the winter of 2023-24 through its price-reducing effects. Based on the Hungarian example, an online price comparison system was recently launched in Slovakia in the name of fighting inflation, and at the beginning of 2026, the launch of an online price monitoring system similar to the Hungarian one was also considered in Austria.