Today the announcements are expected for the “Lent basket“, as well as for the expansion of the “household basket” with new products, on a permanent basis, until the end of the measure, according to what was stated by the Secretary General of Trade and Consumer Protection, Sotiris Anagnostopoulos.

“The implementation of the Lenten basket will start from next Wednesday, February 22, which is also the Wednesday before Clean Monday,” the general secretary pointed out, speaking to ertnews.

The Minister of Development and Investments ‘Adonis Georgiadis, the Deputy Minister Nikos Papathanasis, the Secretary General of Trade and Consumer Protection Sotiris Anagnostopoulos, the commander of the Interagency Market Control Unit (DIMEA) Charalambos Melissinos and the CEO of Warply and head of e-katanalotis platform Yannis Doxaras, will give a press conference today, during which they will announce the addition of new categories to the “Household Basket” and the imposition of fines on supermarket chains for profiteering following audits by DIMEA.

Mr. Anagnostopoulos stated that “within the household basket there are already price restraints for the 15th week and we are entering the 16th. Of the 882 products, we have an increase in 28, a decrease in 51 and 803 remained stable compared to the previous week.”

He noted: “Overall the household basket has proven that it can hold and – in some cases – reduce prices” and underlined that there has been a significant addition of name-label products in recent weeks.

Accuracy is not something to deal with in the “household basket”, the secretary-general added, but added that it is a tool and “consumers, the most sensitive to price appreciation, can find a haven of low to zero inflation”.

The general secretary announced that among the categories that will be added to the household basket will be fresh beef and highly pasteurized milk, while pulses will be separated into 3 categories – chickpeas, lentils, beans – so that supermarket lists include three products.

The “Lent Basket”

As for the “Lent baskets”, in addition to the fasting products already present in the household basket, “halva, fasting salads, as well as frozen seafood will be added, of which every supermarket should put at least two items in the household basket” as Mr. Anagnostopoulos said.