Background information

On 30 October 2022, the Minister of Development and Investments with the decision No. 104093/2022 "Determination of categories of products included in the household basket"; determination of the frequency of sending the list of products by the obligated parties; designation of the competent control authority; determination of the procedure for the collection of fines and other specific issues for the application of article 87 of Law 4986/ 2022 (A' 204)", introduced a new measure: the so-called “household basket” in order to face the rising inflation and high food prices . The aim of the household basket is to offer to the consumers some special products, one per category, essential for a decent living, at lower prices. The measure started on 2 November 2022.

Content of measure

Ministerial Decision No 104093/2022 on the household basket provides that supermarkets with an annual turnover of more than €90 million per year, are obliged to send to the Ministry of Development a list of consumer products ("household basket") that are necessary for a decent living and in particular at least one product from 51 product categories that are included in the "household basket".

The supermarket chains participated in the measure include 13 companies across the country. Each chain is free to choose which specific product codes from the list will be included in the basket and their (lower) prices. The basket includes various foodstuff products such as, flour, pasta, meat, fish, dairy products, beverages, cleaning products, hand sanitizers, personal hygiene products, disposable nappies, baby milk and pet food.

The prices of the products that make up each supermarket's "household basket" are posted on a dedicated website .

The products included in the basket bear a distinct sign on the shelf and are promoted in the supermarkets' ads.

The prices announced remain in force for one week; the prices and the content of the basket are changing every Wednesday.

Use of measure

According to the research of EKPOIZO (Consumers Association - The Quality of Life) the basket has a reduced impact on the consumers. The survey was conducted from 14 December 2022 to 22 January 2023 on a sample of over 1,000 consumers. More than half (54.3%) do not buy products from the basket, responding among other things that they choose products in private label offers, that they find cheaper items out of the basket or that they do not consider them of quality.

Also, according to information given by ΕΕΚΕ (Greek Consumer Workers' Association), not only double-digit rates of price increases are recorded even within the basket, but also a profiteering exists, camouflaged by misleading tricks such as reducing the content in packaging. EEKE proposes to replace the profit margin with gross profit in absolute size per physical unit of product or service.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Sector specific set of companies Larger corporations	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Company / Companies	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

There is no any involvement of social partners.

Views and reactions

On October 13, 2022 GSEVEE (Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants), in a Press release argued that, the "household basket" is just an illusion. The list of 50 basic consumer products does not respond to the frustration that the wave of the increase of product prices has caused. The primary cause of the prices’ rising is the energy cost. Therefore, the prices imposed by the energy oligopoly must be strongly restrained. Even if there are no increases in those products under surveillance (that is “household basket), there will be larger increases in complementary or substitute products. The measure does not provide for a ban on increases, but for price monitoring, while shifting purchases towards large supermarket chains to the detriment of small businesses.

Similarly, the Athens Chamber of Commerce supports that the list of products is insufficient, as a household needs more products and estimated that food chains will mainly promote private label products, thus increasing their profit.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 06 October 2022: Τι είναι το καλάθι του νοικοκυριού για συγκράτηση των τιμώ (www.odigostoupoliti.eu)
• 13 October 2022: «Καλάθι του νοικοκυριού»: «Ανεπαρκές», υποστηρίζουν ΓΣΕΒΕΕ και ΕΕΑ (www.tanea.gr)
• 31 October 2022: Ministerial Decision of Minister of Development No 104093/202 (www.dsanet.gr)
• 27 January 2023: Διαλύοντας μύθους για το καλάθ (www.efsyn.gr)