The prices of household and hygiene products can also be tracked in the Price Watch

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 07. 01. 11:44

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The online Price Monitoring System operated by the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH), which is exactly two years old today, has been expanded with 42 new product categories. This means that customers can now compare prices in a total of 142 product categories on the online platform. This means more than 5,000 different food products, household and hygiene products on a daily basis. Not only the six largest retail chains, but also three national drugstore chains provide data to the system on a daily basis. In addition, the GVH closely monitors the processes of the retail sector and the food industry value chain, and the national competition authority is currently conducting two accelerated sector investigations, in the dairy and egg markets. The results will be available soon.

Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, proposed to the Government in March 2023 to establish the online Price Monitoring System. The in-depth accelerated sector investigations of the national competition authority have revealed, among other things, that price transparency and increased market competition between retailers can help curb food inflation and reduce consumer prices. The online Price Monitoring system, which was established jointly with the Government and operated by the GVH and is available at www.arfigyelo.gvh.hu, was launched on 1 July 2023.

Following its launch, the range of product categories monitored in the system has expanded several times, and the Price Monitoring has also received new functional developments that continuously help customers. By using the freely computable shopping list available in the system and the map-based store filter that strengthens micro-market competition, families can save money and time during large purchases due in the summer.

The initial 62 food product categories were first expanded to 78 – with various lactose, milk protein and gluten-free products – and then to 100 food categories from March 2025. From June, a total of 42 product categories, including various household and hygiene items, were also included in the Price Monitor. Thus, the daily updated prices of more than 5,000 different food products and household and hygiene items in 142 product categories can now be tracked in the system, in 1,788 stores of six retail chains and three drugstore chains nationwide.

In addition, the Hungarian Competition Authority continuously monitors the market processes experienced in individual product chains and the market behavior of food trade players in order to protect Hungarian consumers. The national competition authority also pays great attention to ensuring that no competition-restricting cooperation develops between the relevant market players.

The GVH is conducting several proceedings against food retail companies on suspicion of prohibited price fixing and misleading advertising. Furthermore, the GVH is currently conducting accelerated sectoral investigations due to the price fluctuations and increases experienced in the domestic market for milk and dairy products and table eggs in the recent period. The national competition authority will soon publish the findings and recommendations of the investigations.