The Independent Authority for Market Control and Consumer Protection (AAEA&PK) has clarified that there is no concealment of data regarding recent price reductions across thousands of consumer products. In response to media reports calling for the full publication of product codes with recorded price cuts, the authority emphasized transparency within legal and institutional boundaries.
No Deception, Just Legal Compliance
“There is no deception of consumers. There is law, there are administrative records, and there is a state obligation to handle them with institutional seriousness,” the AAEA&PK stated.
The detailed database—including product codes, barcodes, supplier names, market prices, and dates of announcement and implementation—is an administrative and audit file used for market monitoring and regulatory oversight. Under Greek law, supermarket chains are required to submit this data weekly to both the Ministry of Development and the AAEA&PK.
Confidentiality Protects Commercial Interests
However, these submissions contain commercially sensitive information—such as wholesale pricing and supplier identities—and are protected by confidentiality clauses designed to safeguard trade secrets. As such, publishing the full list would violate existing legal frameworks and expose proprietary business data.
What can be published—and what the AAEA&PK regularly does—is aggregated, anonymized data. This provides citizens with a clear, factual overview of market trends without compromising legal or commercial integrity.
Price Reductions from April to June 2026
Based on data processed for the period 1 April to 24 June 2026, the AAEA&PK identified:
- 1,898 recorded price reductions across basic catalogue items supplied by wholesalers and producers to supermarket chains;
- An average reduction of 5.94%;
- Reductions concentrated in categories directly affecting household budgets.
It’s important to note that these figures reflect changes in wholesale or catalogue prices—not final shelf prices, which each retailer sets independently based on marketing strategy, promotions, and competitive dynamics. Still, catalogue reductions typically serve as the foundation for corresponding adjustments at the retail level.
Breakdown by Product Category
The 1,898 reductions are distributed across key consumer goods groups:
- Fresh meat: 1,116 reductions — including 907 for fresh beef and 209 for fresh pork. Most relate to wholesale meat suppliers serving supermarket chains.
- Packaged coffee: 120 reductions
- Cheeses: 63 reductions
- Olive oil: 44 reductions
- Shampoos and hair care products: 35 reductions
- Biscuits: 29 reductions
- Soft drinks: 27 reductions
- Pasta: 19 reductions
- Other categories: 445 reductions (not fully specified in source material)