Advocacy groups advocate for establishing a surveillance hub to foster enhanced transparency.
Critics are pushing for the establishment of an overseeing body to improve transparency in light of consistently high food costs. As head of the national association, Ramona Pop declared, "Food prices are shrouded in mystery." It's a mystery where unwarranted price hikes and profits might surface throughout the supply chain, from farmers to retailers.
These consumer advocates propose instituting a monitoring body within the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food. This body would examine prices and costs at each step, eventually reporting its findings to the parliament annually. Pop emphasized that after an initial spike, food prices have leveled out at a high rate.
"The federal government needs to expose the hidden pricing of food," the association head demanded during her presentation of a feasibility study commissioned by the association. With more transparency, unjust practices could be uncovered, thereby shielding customers from exorbitant prices at the cash register.
The association head's demand included a point that "The following points are added": the establishment of a monitoring body within the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food and the annual reporting of its findings to the parliament. This added transparency could potentially reveal "unjust practices" and protect consumers from excessive prices.
