Hypermarkets combat price hikes by adding agricultural and livestock product sections

The Consumer Protection Committee of the Executive Yuan said yesterday that starting on the 15th, 5 major hypermarkets (RT-Mart, Carrefour, PX Mart, Ai-Mai, and Songqing) have successively added brand-name agricultural and livestock products such as rice, meat, and canned fish to their anti-price-hike sections.

The Economics Committee of the Legislative Yuan yesterday arranged for the Council of Agriculture, the Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Consumer Protection Committee of the Executive Yuan and other ministries to give a special report on "the government's response to price fluctuations," and to take questions.

With prices rising frequently recently, the Consumer Protection Committee pointed out that it has coordinated with hypermarkets to add brand-name agricultural and livestock products such as rice, meat, and canned fish to their "anti-price-hike sections"; the hypermarkets carrying this out one after another are RT-Mart, Carrefour, PX Mart, Ai-Mai, and Songqing, while Dinghao will reply later on its feasibility.

As for convenience stores, because they do not follow a price-competition approach, most operators responded to the Consumer Protection Committee that promotional products are already being offered, and are expected to reply on the 21st as to whether they will set up the above sections.