The Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag has called for the introduction of a compulsory comparison app for supermarkets Groceries required. This should allow consumers to find the cheapest food. “The large supermarkets would be obliged to participate in the app, the small ones could participate voluntarily. The markets would have to report the prices and reflect changes there in real time,” said parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge to the dpa news agency.
“If consumers can inform themselves, they will be able to counter the power of the big chains,” said Drugs. Corresponding apps already exist, but they are not mandatory for supermarkets. Furthermore, there is no claim to completeness.
“In times of crisis, we want opportunities to limit supermarkets’ profit margins,” said the parliamentary group leader. In crises, supermarkets usually add a little more to the higher prices.
Note on smaller pack sizes
Customers should be specifically made aware of changes in pack size, said Dröge. “For example, there could be a sticker on it that says when the pack was reduced in size and to what extent. Markets do this all the time: they make the pack smaller, the price stays the same, and consumers don’t notice it straight away.”
Today, consumers can already compare prices using legally required signs that usually hang on supermarket shelves: They say how much 100 grams or 100 milliliters or 1 kilogram or one liter of a product costs. Consumer education is important, said Dröge. “But not everyone should have to be highly educated and informed in order to be able to defend themselves against unfair prices. An app like this is something low-threshold.”
Farmers also need to be better protected against unfair competition, said Dröge. “For example, we want to prohibit retail chains from selling products under the Production costs allowed to shop. Farmers must be able to cover their costs.”
